Spencer, New York, 2007
Spencer’s story
218 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2007.
- 1808Spencer is settled
SpencerNY
Population
688
2025 Census estimate · −5.1% since 2020
Median home value
$154K
Census ACS
Household income
$52K
median
Median age
34.4
years
Jobs based here
426
Balanced
Is Spencer a good place to live?
31% of residents live below the poverty line in Spencer, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Spencer’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile, above both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Spencer has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Spencer stand out
Where Spencer beats most towns.
Small town
688 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Spencer: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spencer, and how to reach them.
PowerNew York State Elec & Gas22.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterHillview Mobile Home ParkNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Spencer’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTioga County Board of ElectionsTioga County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code1488314883 100%Census 2020
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 Spencer.
Natural hazards
Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Spencer
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Spencer.
71risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
13
paid flood claims since 1996
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Spencer has snowy winters and pleasant summers
Spencer has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 15° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
64″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–35°
Spring33–56°
Summer56–80°
Fall40–60°
Oct 3
typical first frost
May 12
typical last frost
+1.1°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
With 1.4 jobs for every working resident, Spencer draws in 402 commuters
Most working residents leave Spencer for work: only 8% work in town. The median household income in Spencer is $52,000. Since 2013, Spencer has added 145 jobs, to 426 in 2023.
8%work in town
| Spencer | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.7% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Spencer8%
Ithaca15%
Ithaca13%
Spencer9%
Lansing6%
16 mi
median commute distance
426
jobs based in Spencer
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Health
How healthy Spencer is
Spencer beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 40% of Spencer adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Spencer | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
32 measures vs. New York
0 better22 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | Spencer | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.2% | 6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18% | 12.8% |
| More smokers | 15.2% | 11.3% |
Robert Packer Hospital
17 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3.2%conserved
3.2%
conserved · 21 of 665 acres
1.6 mi
of trails · 1.6 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 38 attractions →Seneca Lake and 21 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spencer. Close and well known come first.
37 mi LakeSeneca Lake
34 mi LakeCayuga Lake
22 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
29 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
24 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
16 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf FieldSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Seneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Spencer
18pages on Spencer
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Spencer
About 0 of every 100 Spencer residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Famous people from Spencer
3 notable people were born in Spencer.
About Spencer
Town in New York, United States
Spencer is a town in Tioga County, New York, United States. The population was 2,976 at the 2020 census. The town and its primary village are named after Ambrose Spencer. It lies on the western border of the county and is south of Ithaca. Inside the town is the Village of Spencer. The village of Candor borders the town to the east and southeast, with Waverly to the southwest and Van Etten to the west, while Danby is to the north.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 50 sq mi
- Elevation
- 994 ft
- Area code
- 607
Questions about Spencer
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Spencer, NY a good place to live?
Spencer has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Spencer, NY known for?
3 notable people were born here, including Woodbridge N. Ferris and George Barker Stevens.