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.
In Ellington, the FEMA risk score is 79 of 100, against 31 of 100 in New York’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. 88% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Ellington after 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2005.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Half of commuters travel less than 12 miles. Employers in Ellington shed 34 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 68. 18% of residents live below the poverty line locally, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. The town’s median household income stands at $65,000.
| 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
The range runs from 15° on a January night to 79° on a July afternoon, with about 98 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Just over four fifths of Ellington adults had a checkup this year. This New York town does better than the New York average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and worse on 10.
| 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
Across 3 parks and preserves: 1.9 miles of trail. Ellington’s concentration of trails comes in at 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−.
