John D. Rockefeller's birthplace at
Richford’s story
203 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper.
- 1823Richford is settled
RichfordNY
28% more nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
Population
1,018
2025 Census estimate · −2.4% since 2020
Median home value
$111K
Census ACS
Household income
$66K
median
Median age
55.7
years
Jobs based here
43
A commuter town
Is Richford a good place to live?
Richford’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for civic life and the outdoors; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Richford’s median age is 55.7 years, against 43 years in New York’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns. Only 28 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on walkability. Richford's public schools trail 70% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. 26% of the land in Richford is conserved, above both the New York town median (5.2%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). On civic life, just 115 of New York’s 1,187 towns do better. The biggest place to walk is Robinson Hollow State Forest, 1,636 acres with 2.2 miles of trail. Richford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Richford stand out
Where Richford beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Richford5.3
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical NY town4.2
Civic lifeA
28% more nonprofits per person
than the typical New York town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1823
A long history
A history going back 203 years.
Small town
1,018 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
CarolineLisleBerkshireRichford
How Richford grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Richford is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.1 of 20; 5.1% of households have no car; 0% of workers walk, bike or ride transitD−Open →Cost of livingTypical home $111K, 1.7 years of the Binghamton metro’s $65K median household incomeA−Open →Jobs & income43 jobs based hereC−Open →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listCOpen →SchoolsCOpen →HealthGuthrie Cortland Regional Medical Center 16.2 miles awayBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsAOpen →History3 notable people born hereBOpen →Civic life5.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsAOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Richford: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Richford, and how to reach them.
PowerNew York State Elec & Gas22.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHarford Water District #1No health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers88% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Richford’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTioga County Board of ElectionsTioga County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes13835, 13736, 1481713835 67% · 13736 26% · 14817 7%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Richford.
26%conserved
26%
conserved · 6,321 of 24,303 acres
11 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Robinson Hollow State Forest | 2.2 mi | 1,636 |
| 2. Turkey Hill State Forest | 1.8 mi | 1,088 |
| 3. Andersen Hill State Forest | 1.5 mi | 549 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C−
A smaller share of working residents in Richford work locally than in the typical New York or U.S. town
1.9% of working residents work locally in Richford. The top destinations are Ithaca (13%), Ithaca (8%) and Lansing (6%). Richford’s average trip to work is 30 minutes.
2%work in town
| Richford | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Richford2%
Ithaca13%
Ithaca8%
Lansing6%
Union5%
19 mi
median commute distance
43
jobs based in Richford
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 3% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in Richford
Richford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Richford is 80°F.
63″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–33°
Spring33–54°
Summer56–78°
Fall39–59°
Oct 4
typical first frost
May 13
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C
Richford faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Richford since 1981.
65risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
1
paid flood claims since 1981
8
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB
Richford ranks healthier than 60% of the country’s towns
Richford beats the New York average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 39% of Richford adults sleep under 7 hours.
60%healthier than U.S. townsBHealth Grade
| Richford | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New York
5 better16 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Richford | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.8% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 17.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 6% |
Guthrie Cortland Regional Medical Center
16.2 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Nearby attractions
All 44 attractions →Cayuga Lake and 16 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Richford. Close and well known come first.
34 mi LakeCayuga Lake
35 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
24 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
15 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field9 mi Ski areaGreek Peak Mountain Resort43 runs · 828 ft vertical
16 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a yearSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Richford
19pages on Richford
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Richford
About 2 of every 100 Richford residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
A shrinking town
Richford has shrunk 13% since 2010
1,172 counted in 2010 and 1,043 in 2020; an estimated 1,018 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Famous people from Richford
3 notable people were born in Richford.
About Richford
Town in New York, United States
Richford is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,043 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Ezekial Rich, an early settler and benefactor of the town. The Town of Richford is the northernmost town in the county and is southeast of Ithaca. It is known as the birthplace of Oil titan, philanthropist, founder of the Standard Oil company, and the richest man in modern history, John D. Rockefeller, who was born in this town and returned to visit during the summer. The foundation of his childhood home is located adjacent to Rockefeller Road on land that is now part of Griggs Gulf State Forest. It is marked by a sign that designates the historical site.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 38 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,371 ft
- ZIP code
- 13835
- Area code
- 607
Questions about Richford
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Richford, NY a good place to live?
28% more nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
Is Richford, NY expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
What is Richford, NY known for?
3 notable people were born here, including John D. Rockefeller and William Rockefeller.