Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rensselaer grades C+ overall, 494th among New York's 745 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns and 3% of its land is conserved. On the other side, its schools rank behind 93% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 9 places on the National Register. Rensselaer’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile, against 0.4 in New York’s towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Fort Crailo and Beverwyck Manor. Rensselaer's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Rensselaer beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Fort Crailo| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Van Rensselaer Elementary School | PK–5 | 487 |
| Nurses Middle College Charter High School-Capital Region | 9–10 | 83 |
| Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School | 6–12 | 462 |
Fort Crailo is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier. Its founding year, 1630, comes before those of 99% of the New York towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 3,295 in 1880, 9,210 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1816 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Rensselaer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rensselaer. Close and well known come first.
in town Stadium & arenaMVP Arena
2 mi MuseumUSS Slater
in town Ancient siteFort Orange
2 mi MuseumSchuyler Mansion
29 mi MountainMount Greylock
2 mi TheatreThe EggMVP Arena: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Slater: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Orange: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Schuyler Mansion: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · The Egg: Nitant23, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rensselaer, 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 Rensselaer.
Rensselaer reports less crime than North Greenbush or any other graded neighbor and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it trails East Greenbush and its other neighbors on schools.
4.7 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Hollow Park, at 78 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. BASF Environmental Education Classroom and Wildlife Habitat | 0.9 mi | 10 |
| 2. Hollow Park | 0.7 mi | 78 |
| 3. Riverfront Park | 0.5 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, East Greenbush highest at A−.
Its public schools are run by the Rensselaer City School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Rensselaer Junior/Senior High School, with 462 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Rensselaer Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 487 | D |
| Rensselaer Junior/Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 462 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The typical Rensselaer home is worth about $316,000, up 3.5% in a year, 40% below the New York typical home. 43% of households own their home in Rensselaer, where New York’s towns sit at 75% and U.S. towns at 73%.
| Rensselaer | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,219 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The average commute for its 4,165 working residents takes 22.3 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Rensselaer for work: only 5% work in town. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Rensselaer. The top destinations are Albany (28%), Colonie (13%) and East Greenbush (10%).
| Rensselaer | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.8% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Rensselaer has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 10,507 U.S. towns with household incomes like Rensselaer’s, it is healthier than 73%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its B, from Albany (B+) to East Greenbush (A).
Rensselaer beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 43% of Rensselaer adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Rensselaer | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 37% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rensselaer | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 14.5% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.2% | 6% |
| More adults with depression | 20.7% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its B− tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; North Greenbush (B−) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 148 to 97 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 52 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rensselaer.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
14 within 15 miles of the center of Rensselaer
About 4 of every 100 Rensselaer residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Rensselaer’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in Rensselaer on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Rensselaer.
City in Rensselaer County, New York, US
Rensselaer () is a city in Rensselaer County, New York, United States, and is located on the east side of the Hudson River, opposite Albany and on the western border of Rensselaer County. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 9,210. The area now known as the City of Rensselaer was settled by the Dutch in the 17th century, who called it t'Greyn Bos, which became Greenbush in English. Rensselaer was an early center of the U.S. dye industry in the United States and home to the country's first aspirin factory. The city became a railroad hub in the 19th century; in 2020, Albany-Rensselaer was the ninth-busiest Amtrak station in the country and the second-busiest in New York State.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Rensselaer.
East Greenbush next door grades higher for schools (A− to Rensselaer’s D) and lower for cost of living (C− to B−).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer | #494 | C+ | B− | B− | D | B |
| North Greenbush | #151 | A− | C− | B− | A− | A |
| East Greenbush | #132 | A | C− | B− | A− | A |
| Albany | #669 | D | C | D | C− | B+ |
| Hampton Manor | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Hampton Manor isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rensselaer with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rensselaer grades C+ overall, better than 36% of U.S. towns and #494 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health, B− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($88,074 across the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area). 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 Charles Ulrick Bay and Frank Murphy.
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