We analyzed research using Saturday Night Science from Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped Klaverns by city from 1915-1940. This report analyzes the locations of historic KKK organizations to see where they were the most prevalent in New York.
The city in New York with the most number of Klaverns was Rochester with 4 Klaverns. The city with the most number of Klaverns per capita was Greigsville with 0.0042 Klaverns. There were historically 74 Klaverns in New York, across 61 places in New York with at least 1 Klavern during the period of reference.
Hate groups can be hard to measure because, typically, there’s no record of where they exist. But there is data on where there were distinct Klaverns of the Ku Klux Klan in each state. These cities have historically been the most racist in New York based on the number of KKK Klaverns.
This report does not speak to the current people who live there or the current state of the KKK in the same towns or areas.
1 Klaverns · #1 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #2 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #3 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #4 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #5 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #6 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #7 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #8 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #9 most historically racist in New York
1 Klaverns · #10 most historically racist in New York
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New York’s statewide median.
On the map
Where New York’s historic Klaverns were
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How We Measured The Most Historically Racist Places In The Empire State
While there are surveys and public polls on what places might be the most racist, we didn’t want to rely on speculation and opinion. Instead, we looked at the hard numbers from where KKK organizations have existed.
Specifically, we analyzed research out of Virginia Commonwealth University that mapped the Klans in each area and gave a history of their recruitment from 1915-1940.
- Number of historic KKK Klaverns (1915-1940) per current resident
Using Saturday Night Science, we analyzed the locations of historic KKK organizations per capita using current population data.
The full plate
Cities With Historically High KKK Membership In New York
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Klaverns | Klaverns /100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greigsville | 239 | 1 | 418 |
| 2 | Mannsville | 332 | 1 | 301 |
| 3 | Delanson | 367 | 1 | 272 |
| 4 | Millport | 398 | 1 | 251 |
| 5 | Fair Haven | 746 | 1 | 134 |
| 6 | Salem | 833 | 1 | 120 |
| 7 | Hancock | 950 | 1 | 105 |
| 8 | Newark Valley | 1,093 | 1 | 91 |
| 9 | Chatham | 1,490 | 1 | 67 |
| 10 | Deposit | 1,815 | 1 | 55 |
| 11 | Carthage | 3,689 | 2 | 54 |
| 12 | Canisteo | 2,304 | 1 | 43 |
| 13 | Falconer | 2,594 | 1 | 39 |
| 14 | Clarence | 2,811 | 1 | 36 |
| 15 | Ilion | 7,968 | 2 | 25 |
| 16 | Hamilton | 4,070 | 1 | 25 |
| 17 | Bath | 5,747 | 1 | 17 |
| 18 | Seneca Falls | 6,533 | 1 | 15 |
| 19 | Oyster Bay | 6,548 | 1 | 15 |
| 20 | Oneonta | 13,906 | 2 | 14 |
| 21 | Beacon | 14,437 | 2 | 14 |
| 22 | Northport | 7,417 | 1 | 13 |
| 23 | Port Jefferson | 7,789 | 1 | 13 |
| 24 | Roosevelt | 16,554 | 2 | 12 |
| 25 | Monroe | 8,493 | 1 | 12 |
| 26 | Hornell | 8,508 | 1 | 12 |
| 27 | Amityville | 9,551 | 1 | 10 |
| 28 | Potsdam | 9,577 | 1 | 10 |
| 29 | Ogdensburg | 11,029 | 1 | 9 |
| 30 | Corning | 11,108 | 1 | 9 |
| 31 | Fulton | 11,786 | 1 | 8 |
| 32 | Patchogue | 12,045 | 1 | 8 |
| 33 | Haverstraw | 12,060 | 1 | 8 |
| 34 | Smithtown | 26,408 | 2 | 8 |
| 35 | Endicott | 13,216 | 1 | 8 |
| 36 | Auburn | 27,369 | 2 | 7 |
| 37 | Glens Falls | 14,574 | 1 | 7 |
| 38 | Johnson City | 14,977 | 1 | 7 |
| 39 | Pearl River | 15,901 | 1 | 6 |
| 40 | Oswego | 18,119 | 1 | 6 |
| 41 | Huntington | 18,378 | 1 | 5 |
| 42 | Cortland | 19,218 | 1 | 5 |
| 43 | Lockport | 20,957 | 1 | 5 |
| 44 | Peekskill | 23,875 | 1 | 4 |
| 45 | Watertown | 27,590 | 1 | 4 |
| 46 | Middletown | 27,904 | 1 | 4 |
| 47 | Newburgh | 28,614 | 1 | 3 |
| 48 | Elmira | 29,046 | 1 | 3 |
| 49 | Port Chester | 29,275 | 1 | 3 |
| 50 | Poughkeepsie | 30,716 | 1 | 3 |
| 51 | Schenectady | 66,055 | 2 | 3 |
| 52 | Valley Stream | 37,764 | 1 | 3 |
| 53 | Binghamton | 46,771 | 1 | 2 |
| 54 | Niagara Falls | 49,679 | 1 | 2 |
| 55 | Rochester | 210,461 | 4 | 2 |
| 56 | Hempstead | 54,801 | 1 | 2 |
| 57 | New Rochelle | 78,476 | 1 | 1 |
| 58 | Buffalo | 259,959 | 3 | 1 |
| 59 | Albany | 98,287 | 1 | 1 |
| 60 | Syracuse | 144,648 | 1 | 1 |
| 61 | Yonkers | 198,654 | 1 | 1 |
Source: VCU Mapping the Klan, 1915-1940; current population data. 61 cities with at least one Klavern.
Summary
There You Have It – The Most Historically Racist Cities In New York
When you’re looking at the places in New York with the highest number of historical KKK Klaverns per capita, this is an accurate list.
Below is a chart that lists all cities in New York with at least one KKK organization from 1915-1940.
The cities with the largest number of KKK Klaverns per capita were Greigsville, Mannsville, Delanson, Millport, Fair Haven, Salem, Hancock, Newark Valley, Chatham, and Deposit. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Historic KKK Presence In New York FAQs
What is the most historically racist city in New York?
Greigsville had the most KKK Klaverns per capita of any New York city between 1915 and 1940, which puts it at the top of this historical ranking. The measure is historic Klan chapters, not anything about residents today.
Which New York city had the most Klaverns overall?
Rochester had the most Klaverns in New York outright, with 4. Our ranking uses Klaverns per capita instead, so smaller towns with heavy Klan presence rank ahead of big cities on raw counts.
How many Klaverns did New York have?
New York had 74 documented Klaverns across 61 cities during the 1915-1940 period. Those are the cities that appear in this ranking.
Does this mean Greigsville is racist today?
No. This ranking maps where the KKK organized a century ago, and says nothing about the people who live in Greigsville now. Treat it as history, not a review of the current community.
Where does this data come from?
The numbers come from a historical archive of Klan chapters, called Klaverns, documented between 1915 and 1940. We divided each city’s Klavern count by its population to get the per-capita ranking.
