Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Southport grades D overall, ranked 688th of 745 in New York, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its public schools trail 93% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. The median household income is $63K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. On civic life, just 10 of New York’s 1,187 towns do worse. 26% of residents are 65 or older in Southport, where New York’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 18%. On the outdoors, just 92 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse.
Where Southport beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
10,940 counted in 2010 and 9,691 in 2020; an estimated 8,740 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 9.8% since 2020, after 11.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Southport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,454 in 1830, a low of 1,454 in 1830, 9,684 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1895 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Southport, 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 Southport.
Southport is healthier than towns with similar incomes, has homes that are cheap against local pay and sends most of its workers to Elmira and beyond.
Its public schools are run by the Elmira City School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Elmira High School, with 1,273 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadway Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 364 | C− |
| Elmira High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 1,273 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Southport has 993 jobs for its 3,525 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here fell from 1,611 in 2013 to 993.
3% of Southport workers work from home. Since 2013, Southport has lost 618 jobs, to 993 in 2023. The average trip to work in Southport is 20 minutes.
| Southport | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 3% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.5% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Southport has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Southport’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Southport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 9,567 U.S. towns with household incomes like Southport’s, it is healthier than 63%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
40% of adults have high blood pressure in Southport. Southport beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 13% of adults have diabetes in Southport.
| Southport | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Southport | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.6% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elmer Goodwin Park | 0.3 mi | 8 |
| 2. Chapel Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Millers Pond Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 1.9 years of the Elmira metro’s $64K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 92% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,577, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Southport. Close and well known come first.
11 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
23 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
37 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
34 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
34 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year
11 mi MuseumRockwell MuseumCorning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, 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 · 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 · Rockwell Museum: W.rose.v, CC BY-SA 4.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Southport
About 4 of every 100 Southport residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Southport’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Southport is a town in Chemung County, New York, United States. The population was 9,684 according to the 2020 census. The town is located in the southwestern corner of Chemung County and is southwest of the city of Elmira. It is part of the Elmira Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Southport.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southport | #688 | D | B− | — | D | C+ |
| Elmira | #536 | C | C+ | A+ | D | C− |
| Ashland | — | — | B | — | D | C |
| West Elmira | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Elmira | #733 | D− | C+ | D | D | C− |
| Big Flats | #384 | B− | C | — | B | B+ |
| Caton | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B+ |
Ashland and Caton have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Southport, Ashland, Big Flats and Caton report no FBI crime data of their own. West Elmira isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Southport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Southport grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #688 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
The typical home is worth about $123,000, 77% 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 B−.
