Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Westport’s best subject grades are an A+ for history, an A for the outdoors, and an A− for civic life; its weakest is a C− for incomes. 38% of the land in Westport is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest, 3,059 acres with 11.7 miles of trail. On history, just 49 of New York’s 1,216 towns do better. Westport has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Westport beats most towns.
First Congregational and Presbyterian Society Church of Westport
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1889.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Westport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westport, 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 Westport.
Walkers can cover 39 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. In Westport, the trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile, near both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Parks and preserves here: 6, covering 3,492 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Split Rock Mountain Wild Forest | 11.7 mi | 3,059 |
| 2. Coon Mountain Preserve | 1.4 mi | 379 |
| 3. Hammond Pond Wild Forest | — | 41 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its one school is below. Public schools: Boquet Valley CSD. 183 students attend Westport’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake View CampusLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 183 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Westport’s average commute stands at 30 minutes. The top destinations are Elizabethtown (25%), Keene (9%) and North Elba (6%). Half of commuters travel less than 21 miles. Among working residents locally, 5.7% work locally.
| Westport | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.7% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 30% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). For Westport, the median age is 52.7 years. The town is shrinking: down 3.6% since 2020, to 1,272 residents (2025 estimate). A bachelor’s degree or higher: 36% of adults 25 and older, vs 40% across New York.
| Westport | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 52.7 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 30% | 20% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 32% | 29% |
Somewhere between 30% and 57% women
The Census survey reached too few of Westport’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.6 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Westport | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.3% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.8% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.5% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.8% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.9% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.6% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
Westport has had 11 paid flood insurance claims since 1979. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 70% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Westport households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
For Westport, the typical July afternoon high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of adults in Westport who binge drink: 16%. This New York town beats the New York average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. Among adults here, 39% have high blood pressure and 30% feel lonely.
| Westport | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| What stands out | Westport | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.8% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.6% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.1% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
None within 15 miles of Westport; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Westport residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
6 places in Westport on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Westport.
Town in New York, United States
Westport is a town in Essex County, New York, United States overlooking Lake Champlain. The population was 1,320 at the 2020 census. The town is on the eastern border of the county and is 41 miles (66 km) south of Plattsburgh and 103 miles (166 km) south of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Westport is inside the Adirondack Park. Westport is the birthplace of the Adirondack chair. The Essex County Fair is held in the town. The Essex County Fairgrounds was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
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.
5 notable people were born here, including John Eugene Osborne and John T. Cutting.
