Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Persia’s best subject grades are an A− for cost of living and an A for history and the outdoors; its weakest is a D for incomes. 22% of residents live below the poverty line in Persia, where New York’s towns sit at 9.5% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 41 of New York’s 1,213 towns score lower on health. Its National Register listings include Gowanda Village Historic District and Bank of Gowanda. Persia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Persia beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Persia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 892 in 1840, 2,207 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2012 and 4 maps from 1923 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Persia, 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 Persia.
19% of Persia adults smoke cigarettes, above both the New York town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 31% of adults get no exercise outside work in Persia. Persia beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21.
| Persia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 13% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 25% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Persia | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.5% | 6% |
| More smokers | 19% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.5% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Persia has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Persia’s July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Persia for work: only 12% work in town. The median household income in Persia is $54,000. Jobs based in Persia fell to 666 in 2023, 612 fewer than in 2013.
| Persia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 10% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
10 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Deer Lick Conservation Area, at 419 acres with 4.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Persia | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Deer Lick Conservation Area | 4.3 mi | 419 |
| 2. Zoar Valley Unique Area | 1.9 mi | 352 |
| 3. Gateway Park | 1 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Persia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium
21 mi WaterfallEternal Flame Falls
32 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
32 mi MuseumUSS The Sullivans
32 mi Stadium & arenaSahlen FieldHighmark Stadium: James161723, CC0 · Ralph Wilson Stadium: User Evilarry on en.wikipedia, Public domain · Eternal Flame Falls: Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · KeyBank Center: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0 · USS The Sullivans: Unknown, Public domain · Sahlen Field: Quintinsoloviev, CC BY-SA 4.0
None within 15 miles of Persia; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Persia residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
3 places in Persia on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Persia is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 2,203 at the 2020 census. It is in the northwest part of the county. The village of Gowanda is partially in the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Persia.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persia | — | — | A− | — | C+ | C− |
| Otto | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Collins | #448 | C+ | A− | — | B− | C |
| Gowanda | — | — | B | B+ | C+ | C− |
| Dayton | — | — | B− | — | C | C− |
| Perrysburg | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C |
| New Albion | — | — | B+ | — | B− | C− |
Persia, Gowanda, Dayton, Perrysburg and New Albion have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Persia, Collins, Dayton, Perrysburg and New Albion report no FBI crime data of their own. Otto isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Persia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $100,000, 81% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
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