Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Starkey earns a D, ranked 657th of 745 in New York, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $55K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 87% of the state's. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 10 places on the National Register. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Starkey, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Thomas Bennett Curtis House and Uriah Hair House. On the outdoors, just 69 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse.
Where Starkey beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,285 in 1830, 3,573 in 2010. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1980 and 2 maps from 1902 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Starkey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Starkey, 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 Starkey.
Starkey is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
Its public schools are run by the Dundee Central School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 314 | C |
| Dundee Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 281 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,131 working residents takes 26.2 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Starkey for work: only 16% work in town. Jobs based in Starkey fell to 680 in 2023, 84 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Milo (16%), Geneva (4%) and Dix (4%).
| Starkey | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 16% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Starkey.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 7,438 U.S. towns with household incomes like Starkey’s, it is healthier than 59%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Starkey beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 16. 17% of Starkey adults smoke cigarettes.
| Starkey | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Starkey | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.2% | 6% |
| More smokers | 17.3% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Starkey has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 17° and about 56 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.7 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. Starkey’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Starkey | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Starkey. Close and well known come first.
9 mi LakeSeneca Lake
17 mi LakeCayuga Lake
11 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
18 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
26 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
35 mi MountainCumorahSeneca 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 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Starkey
About 1 of every 100 Starkey residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Starkey’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
10 places in Starkey on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Starkey is a town in Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 3,573 at the 2010 census. The town is in the southeastern section of the county and is south of Geneva.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Starkey.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starkey | #657 | D | B | — | D | C |
| Milo | #323 | B | B+ | — | B− | B− |
| Hector | #594 | C− | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Barrington | — | — | C | — | D | C |
| Reading | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | B |
| Lodi | — | — | B+ | — | C− | C+ |
Barrington, Reading and Lodi have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Starkey, Milo, Hector, Barrington, Reading and Lodi report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Starkey with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Starkey grades D overall, better than 15% of U.S. towns and #657 of 745 in New York. It grades C for health and D 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.
2 notable people were born here, including James Wickes Taylor and George Washington Newton Yost.
