Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dunkirk’s best subject grade is an A− for walkability; its weakest is a D for schools. 10% of residents are under 18 in Dunkirk, against 20% in New York’s towns and 22% across U.S. towns. On health, just 83 of New York’s 1,213 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is Canadaway Creek Nature Sanctuary, at 32 acres. Dunkirk's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 82% of U.S. towns. Dunkirk has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Dunkirk beats most towns.
Census counts: 5,231 in 1870, a peak of 19,336 in 1920, 12,743 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 4 maps from 1900 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Dunkirk is from typical.
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.
Most working residents leave Dunkirk for work: only 9% work in town. At 14 minutes, Dunkirk’s average trip to work is below both the New York town median (25 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Since 2013, Dunkirk has added 191 jobs, to 1,715 in 2023.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dunkirk.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
14% of Dunkirk adults have diabetes.
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 25% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 37% | 36% |
| What stands out | Dunkirk | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.3% | 7.9% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 17.7% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Dunkirk has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Dunkirk’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Dunkirk | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.9% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Canadaway Creek Nature Sanctuary | — | 32 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Dunkirk
About 1 of every 100 Dunkirk residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
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)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.