Living in Geneva, New York: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3% below the U.S. average in the Rochester metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.1 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood62 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 25.2 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town4 public schools: 2 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byGeneva General Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityRochester is about 38 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Geneva meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 5 residents is a college student, with Hobart William Smith Colleges in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $165,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 27%Ontario County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $972 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $79,435U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 52%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,294 a yearNew York: $6,582
Homes built before 1940: 57%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 97U.S. average = 100 (the Rochester metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 27% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Rochester metro area, not Geneva alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 12,5522020: 12,803
Median age: 32.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 14%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 16%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 39%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 16%U.S.: 6%
College students: 22%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (38%); retail (11%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (10%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 17 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 9%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 16%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Geneva General Hospital, Geneva, NY, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

4 public schools in Geneva, run by Geneva City School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Hobart William Smith Colleges (1,000 to 4,999 students); Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing & Health Sciences (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on New York's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 78%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 92%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 16°F
July average high: 79°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 5 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 136 a year
Rain and melted snow: 34.6 inches a year
Snow: 57 inches a year
Elevation: 480 feet

Weather station: Geneva Rsch Farm (3 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Rochester, NYMetro of 1.1 million38

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Rochester.

Ontario County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

16 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Genesee Park Historic District, the Geneva Downtown Commercial Historic District, the South Main Street Historic District and the St. Francis de Sales Parish Complex.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Women's Rights National Historical Park7 miles
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park21 miles

Campus life. Check Hobart William Smith Colleges's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Geneva's history on Wikipedia.

Know Geneva?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Waterloo, NY4,700 people, 7 miles
Phelps, NY1,900 people, 8 miles
Seneca Falls, NY7,000 people, 10 miles
Clifton Springs, NY2,200 people, 10 miles
Newark, NY8,900 people, 14 miles
Shortsville, NY1,400 people, 14 miles

Smaller places

Hall, NY (unincorporated)255 people, 6 miles
Gorham, NY (unincorporated)315 people, 9 miles
Romulus, NY (unincorporated)265 people, 11 miles
Dresden, NY296 people, 12 miles
Cayuga, NY551 people, 13 miles
Rushville, NY688 people, 14 miles
Crystal Beach, NY (unincorporated)531 people, 14 miles
Port Gibson, NY (unincorporated)661 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.