Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2 times the nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
Sidney earns a D, 697th of 745 graded towns in New York, mostly because of incomes. The median household income is $52K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 1 places on the National Register. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Sidney, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Only 57 of New York’s 1,187 towns score higher on civic life. Pioneer Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Sidney beats most towns.
Pioneer CemeteryEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Sidney is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,107 in 1820, 5,536 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1915 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sidney, 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 Sidney.
Sidney gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
Its public schools are run by the Sidney Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sidney High School, with 342 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 477 | C |
| Sidney High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 342 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The Unadilla 2 N weather station records that 79 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Sidney has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Sidney is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 87% of New York towns, with expected losses of about $645 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Sidney’s FEMA risk score is 66 of 100. Since 1979, 31 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sidney.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 2,137 working residents takes 24.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 5 of Sidney’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Sidney has lost 230 jobs, to 2,779 in 2023. The top destinations are New York (6%), Oneonta (5%) and Oneonta (4%).
| Sidney | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $52,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
6.2 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Keith Clark Park, at 35 acres.
| Sidney | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.1% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Keith Clark Park | 0.2 mi | 35 |
| 2. Greens Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Pine Hill State Forest | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 6,584 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sidney’s, it is healthier than 74%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
40% of Sidney adults have high blood pressure. Sidney beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 13% of Sidney adults have diabetes.
| Sidney | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Sidney | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.7% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sidney
About 2 of every 100 Sidney residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
8 towns share a border with Sidney.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney | #697 | D | B− | — | C | C+ |
| Unadilla | #626 | C− | B+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Otego | #661 | D | B | — | C− | B− |
| Sidney | #663 | D | B− | C+ | C+ | C− |
| Unadilla | — | — | B+ | — | C− | B− |
| Masonville | — | — | B | — | C+ | C |
| Franklin | — | — | B | — | B+ | B |
| Bainbridge | #701 | D | C+ | — | C | C+ |
Unadilla, Masonville and Franklin have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sidney, Unadilla, Otego, Unadilla, Masonville, Franklin and Bainbridge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Sidney with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sidney grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #697 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.