Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Van Etten’s best subject grade is a B for civic life; its weakest is a C− for incomes. Van Etten’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 38 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors. Van Etten has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Van Etten is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,508 in 1860, 1,541 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1869 and 3 maps from 1902 on.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Van Etten. Close and well known come first.
33 mi LakeSeneca Lake
18 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
32 mi LakeCayuga Lake
25 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
22 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
15 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf FieldSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Van Etten, 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 Van Etten.
The typical Van Etten home is worth about $188,000, up 11.4% in a year, 64% below the New York typical home.
| Van Etten | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 79% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,071 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Spencer-Van Etten Central School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer-Van Etten Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 333 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Van Etten for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Van Etten grew to 259 in 2023, 177 more than in 2013. At $62,000, Van Etten’s median household income is against $82,000 in New York’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns.
| Van Etten | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $62,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Van Etten has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Van Etten’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Van Etten.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Van Etten beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 16% of adults smoke cigarettes in Van Etten.
| Van Etten | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Van Etten | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.6% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.5% | 17.2% |
| More smokers | 15.6% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.4 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in Van Etten is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Van Etten | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 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
1 within 15 miles of the center of Van Etten
About 3 of every 100 Van Etten residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Van Etten’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Van Etten is a town in Chemung County, New York, United States. It is part of the Elmira Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the town was 1,541 at the 2020 census. The town is named for the two brothers who founded the village of Van Etten in it. The town is at the northeastern corner of the county, northeast of Elmira.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
