What it's like to live in Cortland
Cortland is a small city in New York with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Cortland deals with household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and cold, harsh winters.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Cold, harsh winters
- Heavy snowfall — 64" per year
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
How Cortland compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Cortland
Based on Cortland's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,950
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,000 a year
- 51% of Cortland renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$30,520
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $15,260
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 31% below US
$975/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $975 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $152,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $152,600 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.3% county unemployment
Unemployment in Cortland County is 4.3%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Cortland County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 29% below US
235 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2792/100k · Cortland Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 35% below US
17 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 16.8 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are comfortable, with highs around 77°F, and winters are cold and harsh, with lows dropping to 15°F.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 3.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 24% below US
27% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 27%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
5 public schools inside the boundary
There are 5 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 11:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Harriet Tubman National Historical Park (29 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Cortland's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a poverty rate above the national average. A year of median rent ($975/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, anyone prioritizing low crime, and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone who dislikes long, cold winters.
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