Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of South Bristol’s subject grades are an A for civic life and an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for cost of living. 31% of residents are 65 or older in South Bristol, above both New York’s towns (20%) and U.S. towns (18%). Among 759 New York towns, just 4 have a higher median age than South Bristol. South Bristol’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). South Bristol has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them South Bristol Grange Hall 1107 and Wilder Cemetery. South Bristol has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where South Bristol beats most towns.
Wilder CemeteryWhere South Bristol’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 South Bristol is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,375 in 1840, a low of 542 in 1950, 1,651 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in South Bristol, 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 South Bristol.
Most working residents leave South Bristol for work: only 6% work in town. The average trip to work in South Bristol is 29 minutes. Jobs based in South Bristol grew to 257 in 2023, 37 more than in 2013.
| South Bristol | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11% of South Bristol residents are under 18. People 65 and older are 31% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 13% of residents (23% statewide). 47% of South Bristol adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| South Bristol | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 11% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 32% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.9 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| South Bristol | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.6% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 5.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 6.6% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 25.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 23% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.2% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.4% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 12.6% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 27.1% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.1% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,600, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in South Bristol.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Bristol has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. South Bristol’s July high is 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
South Bristol beats the New York average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 83% of adults had a checkup this year in South Bristol.
| South Bristol | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | South Bristol | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.1% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
48 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Cumming Nature Center, 706 acres with 9.6 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ontario County Park | 18.3 mi | 393 |
| 2. Cumming Nature Center | 9.6 mi | 706 |
| 3. Wesley Hill Nature Preserve | 3.3 mi | 225 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Bristol. Close and well known come first.
26 mi LakeSeneca Lake
36 mi LakeCayuga Lake
30 mi State parkLetchworth State Park
23 mi MountainCumorahin town Ski areaBristol Mountain Ski Resort39 runs · 1,138 ft vertical
35 mi State parkWatkins Glen State ParkSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Letchworth State Park: Suandsoe, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of South Bristol
About 5 of every 100 South Bristol residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
South Bristol is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,651 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from its separation from the Town of Bristol. The Town of South Bristol is in the southwestern part of the county. It claims to be the smallest town (by population) in the county.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with South Bristol.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bristol | — | — | D | — | B | B |
| Middlesex | — | — | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Naples | — | — | B | — | B | B− |
| Canandaigua | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bristol | — | — | C | — | B | A− |
| Richmond | #523 | C | C+ | — | C+ | A− |
| Italy | — | — | B | — | B | B |
South Bristol, Middlesex, Naples, Bristol and Italy have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. South Bristol, Middlesex, Naples, Bristol, Richmond and Italy report no FBI crime data of their own. Canandaigua isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Bristol with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
24% more nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $310,000, 41% 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 D.
