Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,922, settled in 1880. 79% more nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
Trash day: look up yoursLakewood grades C overall, 581st of 745 graded towns in New York, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $240K, 4.1 years of the Jamestown area’s $58K median household income. Only 38 of New York’s 1,187 towns score higher on civic life. Lakewood’s property crime rate is 20.9 per 1,000 residents, where New York’s towns sit at 7.5 and U.S. towns at 9.9. Lakewood is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Lakewood beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Lakewood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 574 in 1900, 3,002 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 4 maps from 1904 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lakewood, 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 Lakewood.
Lakewood gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has home values climbing faster than New York’s.
Home values rose 45% in five years, to about $240K, against 30% across New York.
Typical home values rose 8.7% in the year to September 2026. 64% of Lakewood households own their home.
| Lakewood | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,154 a month | $1,098 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,284 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lakewood’s, it is healthier than 94%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income.
29% of adults feel lonely in Lakewood. Lakewood beats the New York average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 83% of adults had a checkup this year in Lakewood.
| Lakewood | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 81% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Lakewood | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.6% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.9% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 233 to 158 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Jamestown 4 Ene weather station, 8 miles away, records that 98 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Lakewood has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Lakewood is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 1,178 working residents takes 20.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
Most working residents leave Lakewood for work: only 11% work in town. Lakewood’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Lakewood has lost 346 jobs, to 1,754 in 2023.
| Lakewood | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 24% of residents (18% statewide). Lakewood has lost 2.6% of its people since 2020, down to 2,922 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 39% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Lakewood | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.9 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 24% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 32% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Lakewood | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.1% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.7% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.6% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.2% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 15.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.7% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.4% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.2% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 2,900, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lakewood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lakewood Community Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lakewood. Close and well known come first.
6 mi LakeChautauqua Lake
24 mi DamKinzua Dam
35 mi National forestAllegheny National Forest
36 mi LandmarkFort Le Boeuf
4 mi MuseumLucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center
31 mi State parkAllegany State ParkChautauqua Lake: Banderas, Public domain · Kinzua Dam: Niagara, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Allegheny National Forest: IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5 · Fort Le Boeuf: Charles M. Stotz ?, Public domain · Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center: G. Edward Johnson, CC BY 4.0 · Allegany State Park: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Lakewood
About 3 of every 100 Lakewood residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Village in New York, United States
Lakewood is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,993 at the 2020 census. The village is in the northern part of the town of Busti.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Lakewood.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakewood | #581 | C | C− | C | B− | A− |
| Busti | #658 | D | C− | — | B− | C+ |
| Jamestown West | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ellicott | #634 | C− | B− | C− | B− | C |
Busti reports no FBI crime data of its own. Jamestown West isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lakewood with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lakewood grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #581 of 745 in New York. It grades A− for health, C for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
