Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Phelps is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 435th among New York's 745 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 59% of the country. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $166K, 2.2 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include St. John's Episcopal Church and Oliver Warner Farmstead. Phelps’ average trip to work is 21 minutes, below both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
Where Phelps beats most towns.
Census counts: 5,688 in 1820, 6,637 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Phelps is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Phelps, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Phelps.
For Phelps, the FEMA risk score is 13 of 100. 73% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by drought at 7%. Since 1979, Phelps has seen 4 flood insurance claims paid out.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Midlakes Middle/High School, with 677 students. The Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District runs its public schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midlakes Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 761 | C− |
| Midlakes Middle/High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 677 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 3,179 working residents takes 20.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
The top destinations are Manchester (9%), Arcadia (7%) and Rochester (7%). Most working residents leave Phelps for work: only 12% work in town. Jobs in the town fell by 119 from 2013 to 2023, to 1,688. The median commute is under 13 miles.
| Phelps | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
In Phelps, the trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. Walkers can cover 9.3 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in the town.
| Phelps | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Methodist Memorial Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
14% of Phelps adults report frequent physical distress. Of 32 CDC measures, Phelps beats the New York average on 4 and trails it on 6.
| Phelps | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 14% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Phelps | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.9% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.4% | 7.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Phelps. Close and well known come first.
22 mi LakeSeneca Lake
10 mi MountainCumorah
25 mi LakeCayuga Lake
31 mi MuseumGeorge Eastman Museum
32 mi Stadium & arenaBlue Cross Arena
36 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State ParkSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · George Eastman Museum: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Cross Arena: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Phelps
About 4 of every 100 Phelps residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Phelps’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Phelps on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Phelps.
Town in New York, United States
Phelps is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 6,637 at the 2020 census. The Town of Phelps contains a village called Phelps. Both are north of Geneva.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Phelps.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phelps | #435 | B− | B | — | C− | B |
| Junius | — | — | B− | — | D | C+ |
| Seneca | #484 | C+ | C+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Hopewell | #252 | B+ | B− | — | B− | B+ |
| Geneva | #561 | C | B | — | D | B+ |
| Lyons | #555 | C | A− | — | D | C+ |
Junius has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Phelps, Junius, Seneca, Hopewell, Geneva and Lyons report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Phelps with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Phelps grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #435 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
7 notable people were born here, including Hiram Berdan and Paul D. MacLean.
