Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ellicottville’s best subject grade is an A for history; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Ellicottville, above both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). On hazard risk, just 105 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Ellicottville is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Ellicottville has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Ellicottville Town Hall and Ellicottville Historic District. Ellicottville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Ellicottville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Where Ellicottville beats most towns.
Ellicottville Town Hall
Census counts: 626 in 1830, a peak of 2,067 in 1910, 1,317 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1837 and 3 maps from 1924 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 places in Ellicottville on the National Register of Historic Places.
1,598 counted in 2010 and 1,315 in 2020; an estimated 1,298 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Ordered by what stands out in Ellicottville.
Jobs in Ellicottville grew by 404 from 2013 to 2023, reaching 1,473. One in 4 of the town’s working residents works locally. Also worth knowing: for residents here, the share who live below the poverty line is 6.9%. Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Ellicottville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 10% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.9% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Among adults 25 and older in Ellicottville, 37% hold a bachelor’s degree or more. In Ellicottville, 12% of residents are under 18.
| Ellicottville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 54.8 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 12% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 37% | 32% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
About 112 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Among residents 75 and older, 64% are men (NY 40%).
| Ellicottville | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.9% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.2% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 3.1% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.6% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.5% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.9% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.5% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.8% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 9.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.2% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.2% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,300, single groups can be off by several points
Households in Ellicottville have drawn federal disaster aid in 4 declared disasters, most recently in 2009. Expected damage from storms and floods is higher here than in 73% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 94% come from inland flooding.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ellicottville’s peak summer temperature comes in at 78°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of adults in Ellicottville who had a checkup this year: 84%. Against the New York average, Ellicottville comes out ahead on 9 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7. Two figures for adults here: 40% have high blood pressure, 30% feel lonely.
| Ellicottville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 34% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ellicottville | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.1% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 14.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
20 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. One park or preserve covers 3 acres in Ellicottville.
| Ellicottville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bryant Hill State Forest | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The rent at the middle of the market in Ellicottville is $768 a month. 82% of households own their home here.
| Ellicottville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $768 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ellicottville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
28 mi WaterfallEternal Flame Fallsin town Ski areaHoliday Valley79 runs · 790 ft vertical
37 mi DamKinzua Damin town Ski areaHolimont42 runs · 671 ft verticalHighmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Eternal Flame Falls: Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kinzua Dam: Niagara, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ellicottville, 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.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
None within 15 miles of Ellicottville; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Ellicottville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
3 notable people were born in Ellicottville.
Town in New York, United States
Ellicottville (Seneca: Hadíashë́dahgwá'geh, lit. 'place where they used to hold councils') is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,317 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Joseph Ellicott, principal land agent of the Holland Land Company. The town of Ellicottville includes a village also called Ellicottville. The town is in the north-central part of the county, north of the city of Salamanca.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
The typical home is worth about $248,000, 53% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Brian Dunkleman and Charles Henry Bryan.
Ask a question, answer one, post a photo or an event. Free, and the parts only a neighbor would know are the parts worth reading.
