Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ellington’s best subject grade is an A− for cost of living; its weakest is a D for hazard risk. Only 39 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on hazard risk. The biggest place to walk is Harris Hill State Forest, 739 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. Ellington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Ellington beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Ellington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,279 in 1830, a peak of 2,001 in 1850, 1,493 in 2020. The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 4 maps from 1905 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ellington, 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 Ellington.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 79% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ellington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1% of working residents work locally in Ellington, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Ellington has lost 34 jobs, to 68 in 2023. 18% of residents live below the poverty line in Ellington.
| Ellington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 18% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Ellington has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. At 79°F, Ellington’s July high is below both New York’s towns (81°F) and U.S. towns (85°F).
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ellington beats the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 16% of Ellington adults report frequent physical distress.
| Ellington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 34% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ellington | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.2% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.6% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.1% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1.9 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The trail density in Ellington is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Ellington | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harris Hill State Forest | 1.1 mi | 739 |
| 2. Old Ball Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
| 3. Ellington Town Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ellington. Close and well known come first.
15 mi LakeChautauqua Lake
38 mi WaterfallEternal Flame Falls
27 mi DamKinzua Dam
39 mi National forestAllegheny National Forest
22 mi State parkAllegany State Park
11 mi MuseumLucille Ball-Desi Arnaz CenterChautauqua Lake: Banderas, Public domain · Eternal Flame Falls: Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kinzua Dam: Niagara, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allegheny National Forest: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · Allegany State Park: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Ellington
About 3 of every 100 Ellington residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Ellington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in New York, United States
Ellington is a town in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 1,493 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
