Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wappinger grades B+ overall, 277th of 745 graded towns in New York. It is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $95K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $395K, 4 years of the Kiryas Joel metro’s $98K median household income. Wappinger has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them US Post Office-Wappingers Falls and Cypress Avenue West Historic District. Wappinger’s median rent is $1,708 a month, against $1,098 a month in New York’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Stonykill Environmental Education Center, 312 acres with 2.2 miles of trail.
Where Wappinger beats most towns.
Census counts: 4,961 in 1880, a low of 3,467 in 1920, 28,216 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1899 and 5 maps from 1893 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 Wappinger is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wappinger. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
12 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
39 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
14 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
14 mi Stadium & arenaMichie Stadium
23 mi LakeCandlewood LakeUnited States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Michie Stadium: John Pellino, Public domain · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wappinger, 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 Wappinger.
28% of Wappinger adults have obesity. Wappinger beats the New York average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 19% of Wappinger adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Wappinger | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 14% |
| What stands out | Wappinger | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.8% | 17.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.2% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.8% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wappingers Central School District. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Roy C Ketcham Senior High School, with 1,557 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myers Corners SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 836 | C+ |
| Roy C Ketcham Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,557 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Wappinger has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 19° and about 36 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
4.2 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Wappinger’s trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Wappinger | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stonykill Environmental Education Center | 2.2 mi | 312 |
| 2. Mesier Park | 0.4 mi | 6 |
| 3. Robinson Lane Baseball Complex | — | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Wappinger for work: only 11% work in town. Since 2013, Wappinger has added 1,905 jobs, to 9,867 in 2023. The average trip to work in Wappinger is 28 minutes.
| Wappinger | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 24 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wappinger.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New York average. 18% of residents are under 18 in Wappinger. 36% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Wappinger | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 32% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.9 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 46.3, men 42.3.
| Wappinger | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.2% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.1% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median sale price was $525,000 in May 2026.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Wappinger
About 6 of every 100 Wappinger residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
10 places in Wappinger on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Wappinger is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The town is located in the Hudson River Valley region, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. The population was 28,216 at the 2020 census. The name is derived from the Wappinger Native Americans who inhabited the area. Wappinger comprises three-fourths of the incorporated village of Wappingers Falls, several unincorporated hamlets such as Brinckerhoff, Chelsea, Diddell, Hughsonville, Middlebush, Myers Corner, New Hackensack, and Swartwoutville, and a number of neighborhoods.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Wappinger.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wappinger | #277 | B+ | D | — | B+ | A |
| East Fishkill | #168 | A− | D | A | B+ | A |
| Poughkeepsie | #406 | B− | D | C | B | A− |
| Myers Corner | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| New Hackensack | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Newburgh | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Red Oaks Mill | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fishkill | #335 | B | D | — | B | A |
Wappinger and Fishkill report no FBI crime data of their own. Myers Corner, New Hackensack, Newburgh and Red Oaks Mill aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wappinger with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wappinger grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #277 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 $395,000, 25% 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.
