Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Olean run?
Olean’s city government spent $18.8 million on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2023, about $1,365 per resident. Water and other utilities ($3.3 million) and the airport ($233,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Olean is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,365 per resident a year, or $3.74 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,369 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Olean’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,369 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 47 New York cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,414, and the middle half spent $1,076–$1,871. Olean spent less than 62% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.6 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
New York cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Olean itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 3% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Olean reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,369 · 2023: $1,365.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $3,130 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 3.64% of the home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Olean’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Olean’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Olean →
Who’s in charge in Olean
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Olean’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on cityofolean.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 75 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (13,786).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Olean City School District
Olean’s K–12 school district, shared with Olean. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $25,189 per pupil, $16,210 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
New York districts overall: 51% local, 41% state, 8% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Olean voted in 2024
Official results for Olean’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican52.7%3,061 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat46.1%2,681 votesOthers: 1.2% (68 votes).
Most votes in Olean: Donald J Trump
Cattaraugus County: Trump 66.0%, Harris 33.4% · New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%
of Olean’s 10,437 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across New York: 59%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Olean: Michael D Sapraicone
Cattaraugus County: Sapraicone 62.8%, Gillibrand 36.8% · New York: Gillibrand 58.8%, Sapraicone 40.5%
Most votes in the district: Nicholas A Langworthy
Whole-district result
President, 2024: Olean, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olean | 52.7% | 46.1% | 1.2% | 5,810 |
| Cattaraugus County | 66.0% | 33.4% | 0.6% | 34,204 |
| New York | 43.3% | 55.9% | 0.8% | 8,262,600 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Olean.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: cityofolean.org ↗
- 2New York AssemblyState representatives
- 3New York SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of New York
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Olean compares with the towns next door
Olean spent $1,369 per resident in 2022. Most of its neighbors are townships, a different kind of government, so the like-for-like comparison is with similar cities, above. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Allegany | $359 | $3,986 |
| Olean | $1,369 | $3,130 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Olean’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Olean’s government
How much does Olean spend per resident?
About $1,365 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to May 31, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,369 was less than 62% of 47 New York cities of 10,000–24,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Olean?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $3,130 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 3.64% of the typical home’s value, vs 1.55% across New York. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see cityofolean.org.
Who runs Olean’s government?
See cityofolean.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Olean yet.
How did Olean vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 52.7%, Kamala D Harris 46.1% (5,810 votes, official results). Cattaraugus County: Trump 66.0%, Harris 33.4%. New York: Harris 55.9%, Trump 43.3%.
How many people work for Olean?
185 full-time and 45 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $918,221 (about $11.0M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Olean in the state legislature?
State Senate District 57 (George Borrello) and Assembly District 148 (Joe Sempolinski). The Assembly district also covers 88 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Olean’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →