Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waverly's standout: 29% of its land is conserved. Overall it grades C−, ranked 616th of 745 in New York. Its weakest subject is incomes: the median household income is $54K, and 7% of residents live below the poverty line. 29% of the land in Waverly is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Two Rivers State Park Recreation Area, at 342 acres. Waverly's public schools trail 75% of New York towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Waverly beats most towns.
28.8% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Waverly is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,239 in 1870, a peak of 6,037 in 1950, 4,373 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1881 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waverly, 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 Waverly.
Waverly sends many workers across the state line to Sayre and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
The typical Waverly home is worth about $170,000, up 3% in a year, 68% below the New York typical home. 64% of Waverly households own their home, below both the New York town median (75%) and the median of U.S. towns (73%). Waverly’s median rent is $958 a month.
| Waverly | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $958 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Two Rivers State Park Recreation Area | — | 342 |
| 2. Waverly Glen Park | 0.1 mi | 13 |
| 3. East Waverly Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Waverly has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
36% of working residents cross a state line to work, Sayre among the top destinations. Waverly has about as many jobs (1,548) as working residents, but only 296 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Waverly for work: only 17% work in town. Since 2013, Waverly has added 165 jobs, to 1,548 in 2023. The top destinations are Barton (19%), Sayre (16%) and Athens Township (6%).
| Waverly | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.3% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Waverly's reported crime rate is well below New York's. The property crime rate in Waverly is 4.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Waverly | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 10.1 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 0.9 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
Against the 7,205 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waverly’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B− isn’t only a matter of income.
Waverly beats the New York average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 42% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Waverly.
| Waverly | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Waverly | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.9% | 14.5% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.1% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waverly.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waverly. Close and well known come first.
30 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
28 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
37 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State Park
30 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
30 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year40 mi Ski areaGreek Peak Mountain Resort43 runs · 828 ft verticalWatkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · 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 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Waverly; the nearest are
About 6 of every 100 Waverly residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
7 notable people were born in Waverly.
Village in New York, United States
Waverly is the largest village in Tioga County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, Waverly had a population of 4,177. It is located southeast of Elmira in the Southern Tier region. This village was incorporated as the southwest part of the town of Barton in 1854. The village name was conceived by Joseph "Uncle Joe" Hallett, founder of its first Fire Department and pillar of the community, dropping the second "e" from the name of his favorite author's novel, Waverley by Sir Walter Scott. The former village hall is listed on the National Historic Places list. Waverly is part of the Binghamton metropolitan area. The village was previously a regular stop on the Black Diamond E…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Waverly.
Chemung has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Waverly, Chemung and Barton report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Waverly with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waverly grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #616 of 745 in New York. It grades B− for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 2.6 years of the area's median household income ($64,590 across the Binghamton, 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 C+.
7 notable people were born here, including Jeffrey L. Barnhart and Jim Farr.
