Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rensselaerville’s best subject grades are an A for health and history and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Rensselaerville’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, above both the New York town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 33 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on walkability. 14% of the land in Rensselaerville is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Rensselaerville State Forest, at 1,974 acres with 7.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Rensselaerville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Rensselaerville beats most towns.
Rensselaerville Historic DistrictWhere Rensselaerville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Rensselaerville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1800.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rensselaerville, 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 Rensselaerville.
Rensselaerville beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 30% of adults have obesity in Rensselaerville.
| Rensselaerville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 25% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Rensselaerville | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.7% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0.8% of Rensselaerville residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Rensselaerville fell to 75 in 2023, 53 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave Rensselaerville for work: only 4% work in town.
| Rensselaerville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 0.8% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $90,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median age in Rensselaerville is 54 years. Rensselaerville has grown 2.7% since 2020, to 1,871 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. People 65 and older are 30% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (23% statewide).
| Rensselaerville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.3 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 77% are men (NY 50%).
| Rensselaerville | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 3.4% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.4% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.4% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.6% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.5% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.6% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
Rensselaerville has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Rensselaerville’s July high is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Huyck Preserve | 10.5 mi | 1,788 |
| 2. Rensselaerville State Forest | 7.6 mi | 1,974 |
| 3. Scott Patent State Forest | — | 157 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1995, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rensselaerville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rensselaerville. Close and well known come first.
25 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
21 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
25 mi Stadium & arenaMVP Arena
24 mi MuseumUSS Slater19 mi CaveHowe Caverns
19 mi Ski areaHunter Mountain62 runs · 1,532 ft verticalOlana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · MVP 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 · Hunter Mountain: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Rensselaerville; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Rensselaerville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 places in Rensselaerville on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Rensselaerville.
6 towns share a border with Rensselaerville.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaerville | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | A |
| Broome | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Westerlo | #327 | B | B | — | B− | B+ |
| Preston-Potter Hollow | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Berne | #343 | B | B− | — | B | A− |
| Durham | #237 | B+ | B | A+ | C− | B+ |
| Conesville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Rensselaerville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Rensselaerville, Westerlo and Berne report no FBI crime data of their own. Broome, Preston-Potter Hollow and Conesville aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Rensselaerville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The typical home is worth about $260,000, 51% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
6 notable people were born here, including Eliza Farnham and Addison Niles.
