South HillNY
A town of 6,951.
Is South Hill a good place to live?
68% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in South Hill, where New York’s towns sit at 32% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 2 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than South Hill. South Hill’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile, above both New York’s towns (0.4) and U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest place to walk is South Hill Natural Area East, 337 acres with 4.1 miles of trail. We don’t grade South Hill yet; the figures below are still real.
What makes South Hill stand out
Where South Hill beats most towns.
Every workday, about 3,148 people come to South Hill for work
Where South Hill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Moving to South Hill: who provides what
South Hill is unincorporated, so Tompkins County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 South Hill.
With 2.0 jobs for every working resident, South Hill draws in 3,148 commuters
Most working residents leave South Hill for work: only 11% work in town. The average trip to work in South Hill is 18 minutes. Jobs based in South Hill fell to 3,337 in 2023, 347 fewer than in 2013.
| South Hill | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $104,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
South Hill has set aside 24.5% of its land for conservation
16 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Hill Natural Area East | 4.1 mi | 337 |
| 2. Buttermilk Falls State Park | 3.6 mi | 333 |
| 3. South Hill Natural Area West | 1.8 mi | 67 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Snowy winters and pleasant summers in South Hill
South Hill has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. South Hill’s July high is 81°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in South Hill
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
South Hill stands out in New York and nationally, with fewer of its adults who have obesity
22% of South Hill adults have obesity. Only 2 of the 756 New York towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than South Hill. 16% of South Hill adults have high blood pressure.
| South Hill | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 4.3% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | South Hill | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 4.3% | 11.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.5% | 3.4% |
| More adults with depression | 28% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median home in South Hill sells for about $247K
66% of households own their home in South Hill.
| South Hill | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,991 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Seneca Lake and 24 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around South Hill. Close and well known come first.
27 mi LakeSeneca Lake
22 mi LakeCayuga Lake
2 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
20 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
11 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
3 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a yearPhoto credits
Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Everything we know about South Hill
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of South Hill
College town 69 of every 100 South Hill residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
About South Hill
CDP in New York, United States
South Hill is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tompkins County, New York, United States. The population was 7,245 at the 2020 census. The South Hill CDP is located within the town of Ithaca and it is located near the south end of Cayuga Lake. The name South Hill is shared with a contiguous area within the city of Ithaca. Ithaca College is located in the South Hill CDP.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.0 sq mi
- Elevation
- 778 ft
South Hill’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with South Hill.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Hill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| East Ithaca | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ithaca | – | C+ | D− | C− | B | A |
South Hill and East Ithaca aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare South Hill with a neighbor →
Questions about South Hill
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is South Hill, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade South Hill yet; the figures below are still real.