Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Olean’s best subject grades are a B+ for history and a B for cost of living; its weakest is a C for incomes. Olean’s median age is 53.8 years, where New York’s towns sit at 43 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Olean’s trail density is 1.2 miles per square mile, above both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 80 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors. Olean's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. Olean has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Olean beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,327 in 1870, a peak of 22,884 in 1950, 13,937 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1860 and 5 maps from 1898 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Olean is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Olean, 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 Olean.
Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Cattaraugus-Allegany-Erie-Wyoming Boces, with 452 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cattaraugus-Allegany-Erie-Wyoming BocesLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 452 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Olean has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Olean is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Olean beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 17% of adults smoke cigarettes in Olean.
| Olean | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Olean | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.4% | 12.8% |
| More smokers | 16.8% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Olean for work: only 5% work in town. Olean’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Olean has lost 258 jobs, to 970 in 2023.
| Olean | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.6% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $75,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1996, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Olean.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Olean. Close and well known come first.
34 mi DamKinzua Dam
23 mi State parkKinzua Bridge State Park
16 mi State parkAllegany State Park19 mi Ski areaHoliday Valley79 runs · 790 ft vertical20 mi Ski areaHolimont42 runs · 671 ft vertical
25 mi MuseumGriffis Sculpture ParkKinzua Dam: Niagara, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kinzua Bridge State Park: Nicholas from Pennsylvania, USA, CC BY 2.0 · Allegany State Park: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Griffis Sculpture Park: Antepenultimate, CC BY-SA 4.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Olean
About 3 of every 100 Olean residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
26 notable people were born in Olean.
City in New York, United States
Olean ( OH-lee-ann, Seneca: Johíhso') is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County and serves as its financial, business, transportation and entertainment center. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern Tier region of Western New York. As of the 2020 census, Olean had a population of 13,937. The city is surrounded by the town of Olean and is located in the southeastern part of Cattaraugus County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Olean.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olean | — | — | B | — | B | C+ |
| Olean | #695 | D | B− | D | C | C |
| Portville | #396 | B− | B | — | A− | C+ |
| Hinsdale | — | — | B+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Allegany | #326 | B | B | — | B+ | B |
| Weston Mills | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| St. Bonaventure | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Olean and Hinsdale have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Olean, Portville, Hinsdale and Allegany report no FBI crime data of their own. Weston Mills and St. Bonaventure aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Olean with a neighbor →
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.
26 notable people were born here, including Jeff Fahey and Louis Zamperini.
