Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tupper Lake gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $117K, 1.8 years of the county’s $65K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 638th of 745 in New York. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $57K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line, and its schools rank behind 81% of the state's. On the plus side, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. Tupper Lake’s average trip to work is 14 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Among 758 New York towns, just 5 have a lower January low than Tupper Lake. The biggest park or preserve is Flanders Park, at 28 acres.
Where Tupper Lake beats most towns.
3,667 counted in 2010 and 3,282 in 2020; an estimated 3,288 in 2025.
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 Tupper Lake is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,067 in 1910, a peak of 5,451 in 1940, 3,282 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1900 and 4 maps from 1904 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tupper Lake, 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 Tupper Lake.
Tupper Lake gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of New York (mostly inland flooding).
| Tupper Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flanders Park | — | 28 |
| 2. Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Tupper Lake’s property crime rate is 21.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Tupper Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Newcomb weather station, 21 miles away, records that 105 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns. July afternoons average 77.6°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 5.3°.
The July high in Tupper Lake is 78°F. Tupper Lake has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 7,990 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tupper Lake’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
41% of Tupper Lake adults have obesity. Tupper Lake beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 16% of Tupper Lake adults smoke cigarettes.
| Tupper Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 33% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Tupper Lake | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16.4% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.6% | 6% |
| More adults with obesity | 40.8% | 28.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The average commute for its 1,191 working residents takes 14 minutes, against 32.6 across New York. Jobs based here grew from 1,037 in 2013 to 1,591.
About one in 3 of Tupper Lake’s working residents works in town. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Tupper Lake. Jobs based in Tupper Lake grew to 1,591 in 2023, 554 more than in 2013.
| Tupper Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 30% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 86% of New York towns; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Tupper Lake.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 1.8 years of the county’s $65K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 94% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,287, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Tupper Lake; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Tupper Lake residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Village in New York, United States
Tupper Lake is a village in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 3,282 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the boundaries of the Adirondack Park, west of Lake Placid. Along with nearby Saranac Lake, these three villages make up what is known as the Tri-Lakes region. The village of Tupper Lake is in the town of Tupper Lake, called Altamont before 2004. The town and the village are in the southwestern part of the county. It is named for 11,000-acre Tupper Lake, two miles south of the village. The Wild Center, a 54,000 square feet (5,000 m2) natural history center, is on a 31 acres (130,000 m2) campus. The Adirondack Sky Center & Observatory is on the nort…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tupper Lake grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #638 of 745 in New York. It grades C for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $117,000, 78% 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+.