Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wolcott gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $88K for a typical one, or 1.1 years of the Rochester metro’s $76K median household income. It grades C overall, 528th among New York's 745 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 79% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, natural-hazard risk is low. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Wolcott, against 9.5% in New York’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Area, at 2,312 acres. Wolcott has 1 place on the National Register.
Where Wolcott beats most towns.
4,453 counted in 2010 and 4,002 in 2020; an estimated 4,000 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Wolcott is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,867 in 1820, a low of 1,085 in 1830, 4,453 in 2010. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1874 and 4 maps from 1902 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wolcott, 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 Wolcott.
Wolcott gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has lost a quarter or more of its jobs in ten years.
Against the 7,284 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wolcott’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
18% of adults smoke cigarettes in Wolcott. Wolcott beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Wolcott.
| Wolcott | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Wolcott | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10% | 6% |
| More smokers | 18.2% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.1% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Red Creek Central School District. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margaret W Cuyler Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 350 | C |
| Red Creek High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 263 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wolcott.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 1,021 in 2013 to 749.
Most working residents leave Wolcott for work: only 15% work in town. Wolcott’s average trip to work is 31 minutes. Since 2013, Wolcott has lost 272 jobs, to 749 in 2023.
| Wolcott | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Sodus 1w weather station, 16 miles away, records that 105 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Wolcott has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Wolcott is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Shore Marshes Wildlife Management Area | — | 2,312 |
| 2. Wolcott Falls Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 3. Northup Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wolcott. Close and well known come first.
36 mi Stadium & arenaJMA Wireless Dome
31 mi LakeOnondaga Lake
30 mi MountainCumorah
19 mi LandmarkFort Ontario
35 mi Stadium & arenaOncenter War Memorial Arena
33 mi Stadium & arenaAlliance Bank StadiumJMA Wireless Dome: Jimhoward03, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Onondaga Lake: R. A. Nonenmacher, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Fort Ontario: Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Oncenter War Memorial Arena: Crazyale, Public domain · Alliance Bank Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
None within 15 miles of Wolcott; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Wolcott residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Wolcott’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Wolcott is a town in the north-eastern corner of Wayne County, New York, United States. The population of the town was 4,453 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Governor Oliver Wolcott of Connecticut. The Town of Wolcott is in the northeast corner of the county. There are two villages within the town: Wolcott and Red Creek. The town lies west of Syracuse.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Wolcott.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wolcott | #528 | C | A | — | C | C− |
| Butler | — | — | A | — | C | C− |
| Sterling | #472 | C+ | A− | — | C− | C+ |
| Victory | — | — | B− | — | C+ | C |
| Huron | — | — | C+ | — | C | C− |
| Red Creek | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Butler, Victory and Huron have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Wolcott, Butler, Sterling, Victory and Huron report no FBI crime data of their own. Red Creek isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wolcott with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Wolcott grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #528 of 745 in New York. It grades C− for health and C for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
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