Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,665, settled in 1884.
Wayland gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $105K, 1.6 years of the Corning area’s $66K median household income. It grades C overall, 540th among New York's 745 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $65K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. 20% of residents live below the poverty line in Wayland, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 105 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Victory Park, at 21 acres.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Wayland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,067 in 1850, 3,733 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wayland, 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 Wayland.
Jobs based here fell from 1,712 in 2013 to 853.
About one in 5 of Wayland’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Wayland fell to 853 in 2023, 859 fewer than in 2013. Wayland’s average trip to work is 28 minutes.
| Wayland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 10% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.8% | 12% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Wayland-Cohocton Central School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Wayland-Cohocton High School, with 382 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayland Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 451 | C+ |
| Wayland-Cohocton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 382 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Wayland has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Wayland is 79°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Wayland beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 16% of Wayland adults report frequent physical distress.
| Wayland | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Wayland | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.3% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12.5% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wayland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Victory Park | 0.3 mi | 21 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Wayland; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Wayland residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in Steuben County, New York
Wayland is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 3,733 at the 2020 census. The Town of Wayland contains a village called Wayland. The town is in the northern part of the county, northwest of Bath.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Wayland.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayland | #540 | C | B | — | B− | C+ |
| Dansville | — | — | B− | — | C+ | B− |
| Cohocton | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Springwater | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B− |
| Fremont | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Dansville | #387 | B− | B | — | C | B− |
Dansville, Cohocton and Springwater have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Wayland, Dansville, Cohocton, Springwater and North Dansville report no FBI crime data of their own. Fremont isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wayland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wayland grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #540 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.