Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Shawangunk grades B overall, 328th among New York's 745 graded towns. It reports less crime per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $360K for a typical one and 4.2 times the Kingston metro’s $86K median household income. 36% of residents live below the poverty line in Shawangunk, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Johannes Decker Farm and Reformed Church of Shawangunk Complex. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Shawangunk beats most towns.
Its founding year, 1670, comes before those of 96% of the New York towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 2,128 in 1790, a low of 2,087 in 1920, 13,563 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1760 and 3 maps from 1903 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Shawangunk is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for safety (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 11%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shawangunk. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
19 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year6 mi Park & preserveMinnewaska State Park Preserve
20 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
23 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium
18 mi Theme parkLegoland New YorkUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain · Legoland New York: MattCC716, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shawangunk, 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 Shawangunk.
Shawangunk owes part of its health edge to its incomes and has seen reported crime fall by about half, but it has poverty well above the New York rate.
Reported crimes fell from 21 to 8 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Shawangunk is 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Shawangunk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Wallkill Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wallkill Senior High School, with 930 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ostrander Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 481 | B− |
| Wallkill Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 930 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Against the 7,220 U.S. towns with household incomes like Shawangunk’s, it is healthier than 57%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
19% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Shawangunk. Shawangunk beats the New York average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 31% of adults have obesity in Shawangunk.
| Shawangunk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 33% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Shawangunk | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.1% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Shawangunk’s average trip to work is 35 minutes. Most working residents leave Shawangunk for work: only 11% work in town. Shawangunk’s median household income is $110,000.
| Shawangunk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $110,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.1% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
15 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Minnewaska State Park Preserve, at 1,084 acres.
| Shawangunk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 11% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge | 2.1 mi | 553 |
| 2. Minnewaska State Park Preserve | 0.3 mi | 1,084 |
| 3. Open Space Institute lands | — | 630 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shawangunk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Shawangunk has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2 within 15 miles of the center of Shawangunk
About 6 of every 100 Shawangunk residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where Shawangunk’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 places in Shawangunk on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Shawangunk.
Town in New York, United States
Shawangunk is a town in southwestern Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 13,563 at the 2020 census. The town takes its name from its largest stream, the Shawangunk Kill. The name Shawangunk is from the language of the Lenape people. Kill is an abbreviation of the Dutch word for creek, Killitje. It is pronounced Shuh-Whan-Gung
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Shawangunk.
Wawarsing next door grades lower for schools (D to Shawangunk’s B) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shawangunk | #328 | B | D | A+ | B | A− |
| Crawford | #268 | B+ | C− | A | B− | A− |
| Mamakating | #683 | D | D | — | C− | B+ |
| Walker Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pine Bush | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wawarsing | #711 | D | C | — | D | B− |
| Ellenville | #727 | D− | C | — | D | C |
| Montgomery | #236 | B+ | D | A | B | A− |
Mamakating, Wawarsing and Ellenville report no FBI crime data of their own. Walker Valley and Pine Bush aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Shawangunk with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Shawangunk grades B overall, better than 59% of U.S. towns and #328 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health, A+ for safety and B for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
4 notable people were born here, including William Henry Stone and Charles DeWitt Bruyn.
