Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Watervliet's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades C−, 593rd of 745 graded towns in New York. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 77% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. 35% of households own their home in Watervliet, against 75% in New York’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns.
Where Watervliet beats most towns.
Watervliet Arsenal is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 4,572 in 1840, a peak of 16,114 in 1940, 10,375 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1854 and 5 maps from 1893 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Watervliet is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Watervliet. Close and well known come first.
28 mi MountainMount Greylock
6 mi Stadium & arenaMVP Arena
7 mi MuseumUSS Slater
6 mi Ancient siteFort Orange
7 mi MuseumSchuyler Mansion
6 mi TheatreThe EggMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · MVP Arena: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Slater: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Orange: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain · Schuyler Mansion: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Egg: Nitant23, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watervliet, 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 Watervliet.
Watervliet is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
A home in Watervliet typically sold within 14 days of listing. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 3.5%. 63% of the homes sold in Watervliet went for more than their asking price.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Public schools: the Watervliet City School District. The largest public high school is Watervliet Junior-Senior High School, with 785 students. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watervliet Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 670 | C− |
| Watervliet Junior-Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 785 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 4,355 working residents takes 19.9 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Commuting out is the norm in Watervliet: 6% of working residents work locally. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 18%. Employers in Watervliet shed 234 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 1,780. Also worth knowing: in Watervliet, the typical household income is $58,000.
| Watervliet | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $58,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Watervliet’s violent offense rate comes in at 2.2 per 1,000 residents. The level of property crime in the town is 18 per 1,000 residents.
| Watervliet | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Watervliet’s July high stands at 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
77% of Watervliet’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 8%. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 8,310 U.S. towns with household incomes like Watervliet’s, it is healthier than 66%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Two figures for adults in the town: 19% report frequent mental distress, 41% sleep under 7 hours. 28% of Watervliet adults get no exercise outside work.
| Watervliet | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Watervliet | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 16.4% | 11.3% |
| More adults with depression | 24.2% | 17.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.7% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
There are 0.9 miles of trail across 8 parks and preserves. For Watervliet, the density of trails is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Watervliet | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mayor James Cavanaugh Hudson Shores Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
| 2. Mohawk Hudson River Bike Trail Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Watervliet Veterans Memorial Park | 0.2 mi | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16 within 15 miles of the center of Watervliet
About 5 of every 100 Watervliet residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Watervliet’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Watervliet on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Watervliet.
City in New York, United States
Watervliet ( waw-tər-VLEET or waw-tər-və-LEET) is a city in northeastern Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, the capital of the state, and is bordered on the north, west, and south by the town of Colonie. The city is also known as "the Arsenal City".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Watervliet.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watervliet | #593 | C− | B− | C | C− | C+ |
| Colonie | #253 | B+ | C | C− | A− | A |
| Latham | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Green Island · Green Island | #639 | C− | B | — | D− | B− |
| Troy | #699 | D | C+ | D | C− | B− |
Green Island reports no FBI crime data of its own. Latham isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Green Island and Green Island are one community, graded once. Compare Watervliet with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Watervliet grades C− overall, better than 24% of U.S. towns and #593 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health, C for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($88,074 across the Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
9 notable people were born here, including Butch Byrd and Elijah Steele.
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