Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Union Vale grades B− overall, 366th among New York's 745 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country and the median household earns $103K. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $491K, 5 years of the Kiryas Joel metro’s $98K median household income. Union Vale’s average trip to work is 40 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Oswego Meeting House and Friends' Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Union Vale beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,833 in 1830, a low of 945 in 1900, 4,558 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1893 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Union Vale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Union Vale, 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 Union Vale.
Union Vale has less food insecurity than most of New York, but it has commutes longer than most of New York.
Its widest gap with New York is food insecurity: 9.9% of its 4,877 adults worry about having enough food, against 17.2% statewide.
28% of Union Vale adults have obesity. Union Vale beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 15% of Union Vale adults report frequent mental distress.
| Union Vale | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Union Vale | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Arlington Central School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Vale Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 990 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
12 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Tymor Park, 394 acres with 9.4 miles of trail.
| Union Vale | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tymor Park | 9.4 mi | 394 |
| 2. Godfrey Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 1,858 working residents takes 40.4 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Union Vale for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Union Vale grew to 596 in 2023, 75 more than in 2013. 15% of workers work from home in Union Vale.
| Union Vale | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $103,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 15% | 12% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Union Vale has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide); children under 18 are 26% of residents (21% statewide). 43% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Union Vale | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 32% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.7 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Union Vale | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.3% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.4% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.8% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.9% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.8% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 15.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.9% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 22% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,600, single groups can be off by several points
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union Vale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
11 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
14 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
18 mi LakeCandlewood Lake
26 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium13 mi MuseumFranklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and MuseumUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain
4 within 15 miles of the center of Union Vale
About 4 of every 100 Union Vale residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Union Vale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Union Vale is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 4,558 at the 2020 census. The town is in the south-central part of the county. It is part of the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie–Newburgh, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The town is 15 miles (24 km) east of the city of Poughkeepsie and 70 miles (110 km) north of New York City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Union Vale.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Vale | #366 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| Washington | #165 | A− | C− | — | A− | A |
| LaGrange | #338 | B | C− | — | B− | A |
| Beekman | #373 | B− | D | — | B− | A |
| Dover | #563 | C | C | — | C | B+ |
Union Vale, Washington, LaGrange, Beekman and Dover report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Union Vale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Union Vale grades B− overall, better than 53% of U.S. towns and #366 of 745 in New York. It grades A for health and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $491,000, 6% 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 D.
