Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dunkirk earns a D, ranked 670th of 745 in New York, mostly because of schools and incomes. Its schools rank behind 94% of the state's. The median household income is $53K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, natural-hazard risk is low. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Dunkirk, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 33 of New York’s 1,213 towns score lower on health. Dunkirk is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns.
Where Dunkirk beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Point Gratiot Lighthouse Complex| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Dunkirk Intermediate School | 3–6 | 575 |
| School 3 | PK–2 | 157 |
| School 5 | K–2 | 152 |
Census counts: 5,231 in 1870, a peak of 19,336 in 1920, 12,743 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Dunkirk is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for hazard risk (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D for schools (better than 6%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dunkirk, 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 Dunkirk.
Dunkirk is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has seen reported crime rise beyond ordinary swings.
At 2.3 years of the Jamestown area’s $58K median household income, the typical home (about $134K) costs less against local pay than in 81% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $2,352, against $6,582 across New York, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Dunkirk home is worth about $134,000, up 2.3% in a year, 75% below the New York typical home. 59% of households own their home in Dunkirk.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $866 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Dunkirk City School District. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Dunkirk Senior High School, with 882 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dunkirk Intermediate SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 575 | D |
| Dunkirk Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 882 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 48 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dunkirk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,876 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dunkirk’s, it is less healthy than 63%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income.
33% of Dunkirk adults get no exercise outside work. Dunkirk beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. 42% of Dunkirk adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 36% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Dunkirk | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.1% | 12.8% |
| More uninsured adults | 12.3% | 7.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.3 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Point Gratiot Park, at 56 acres.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wright Park | 0.4 mi | 24 |
| 2. Washington Park | 0.3 mi | 6 |
| 3. Point Gratiot Park | — | 56 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Dunkirk has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Dunkirk is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes rose from 189 to 220 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Dunkirk’s property crime rate is 15.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.4 per 1,000 residents | 7.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 4,414 working residents takes 19 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 3 of Dunkirk’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Pomfret (10%), Dunkirk (7%) and Jamestown (5%). Half commute less than 8 miles.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 10% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.5% | 12% | 11% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dunkirk
About 4 of every 100 Dunkirk residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
4 places in Dunkirk on the National Register of Historic Places.
22 notable people were born in Dunkirk.
City in New York, United States
Dunkirk (Seneca: Tga’daesös) is a city in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. It was settled around 1805 and incorporated in 1880. The population was 12,743 as of the 2020 census. Dunkirk is bordered on the north by Lake Erie. It shares a border with the village of Fredonia to the south, and with the town of Dunkirk to the east and west. Dunkirk is the westernmost city in the state of New York.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dunkirk.
Dunkirk has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Dunkirk reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Dunkirk with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dunkirk grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #670 of 745 in New York. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 2.3 years of the area's median household income ($58,351 across the Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
22 notable people were born here, including Samuel Hopkins Adams and H. B. Halicki.
