Ripley (Township), 1867
Ripley’s story
210 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1867.
- 1816Ripley is settled
RipleyNY
3 bordering townsMap →
Photo: Dougtone · CC BY-SA 2.0
Population
2,255
2025 Census estimate · −2.8% since 2020
Typical home
$146K
+3.8% in a year
Household income
$53K
median
Median age
41.2
years
Jobs based here
383
A commuter town
Is Ripley a good place to live?
The best of Ripley’s subject grades is an A− for cost of living; the weakest is a D for incomes. On incomes, just 40 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 69% of U.S. towns. Only 63 of New York’s 1,215 towns score higher on cost of living. Ripley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Ripley stand out
Where Ripley beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA
Very low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
Typical home value
Ripley$146K
New York$525K
Cost of livingA−
2.5 years of income buys a home
More affordable than 83% of U.S. towns
Zillow Home Value Index; area median household income, Census ACS.
0historic places
HistoryB+
Settled in 1816
A long history
A history going back 210 years.
A commuter town
87% of working residents leave Ripley for work
Where Ripley’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
383jobs based in Ripley
13%of working residents work in town
16 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ripley grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Ripley is from typical.
Jobs & income383 jobs based hereDOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 13% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listAOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.7 of 20; 3.5% of households have no car; 2.5% of workers walk, bike or ride transitCOpen →HealthWestfield Memorial Hospital 8 miles awayCOpen →SchoolsB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors3 miles of trails; 2% conserved landCOpen →History4 notable people born hereB+Open →Civic life6.3 library visits per resident; 2.9 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.2; 20% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ripley: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ripley, and how to reach them.
PowerNational Grid19.9¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRipley Water DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers85% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ripley’s trash rules yet
SchoolsRipley Central School DistrictSherman Central School District2 districts serve Ripley; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn New York you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 15 days before and received 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereChautauqua County Board of ElectionsChautauqua County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes14775, 1478714775 98% · 14787 2%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ripley.
HousingCost of living grade A−
In Ripley, the median rent runs lower than in the typical New York or U.S. town
At $677 a month, Ripley’s median rent is below both the New York town median ($1,101 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Ripley home is worth about $146,000, up 3.8% in a year, 72% below the New York typical home.
$146KZillow home value
| Ripley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $677 a month | $1,101 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 75% | 73% |
Typical home value
Ripley$146K
New York$525K
+3.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsB−
Public schools in Ripley fall behind 52% of New York districts
Its public schools are run by the Ripley Central School District. Its one school is below.
48%of NY districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley Central SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 147 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A
Inland flooding leads a very low hazard risk in Ripley
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities.
13risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingTornadoesCold waves
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most of Ripley’s workers commute out: the town has 0.5 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Ripley for work: only 13% work in town. At 20 minutes, Ripley’s average trip to work is against 25 minutes in New York’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Ripley’s median household income is $53,000.
13%work in town
| Ripley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ripley13%
Mina9%
North East Township8%
North East6%
Westfield6%
16 mi
median commute distance
383
jobs based in Ripley
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C
Walkability grade: more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
HealthC
Health in Ripley trails 69% of U.S. towns
Ripley beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 16% of Ripley adults report frequent physical distress.
31%healthier than U.S. townsCHealth Grade
| Ripley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 11% | 12% |
32 measures vs. New York
0 better20 too close to call12 worse
| What stands out | Ripley | NY |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.9% | 6% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 11.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.4% | 6.1% |
Westfield Memorial Hospital
8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Ripley, expect snowy winters and pleasant summers
Ripley has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Ripley is 80°F.
225″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter21–35°
Spring36–56°
Summer59–78°
Fall43–60°
Nov 5
typical first frost
Apr 21
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1.7%conserved
| Ripley | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
1.7%
conserved · 530 of 31,095 acres
2.9 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ripley Community Park | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ripley
19pages on Ripley
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ripley; the nearest are
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Erie, PA16.2 mi$15,972 in-state tuitionJamestown Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Jamestown26.4 mi$6,840 in-state tuition
About 1 of every 100 Ripley residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Famous people from Ripley
4 notable people were born in Ripley.
About Ripley
Town in New York, United States
Ripley is a town on Lake Erie in the westernmost part of Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,310 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was named after Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, a general in the War of 1812. There are no incorporated villages in the town, but there is one census-designated place: the hamlet of Ripley. The town is perhaps best known as being the western terminus of the New York State Thruway.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1817
- Area
- 49 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,299 ft
- ZIP code
- 14775
- Area code
- 716
Ripley’s neighbors
3 towns share a border with Ripley.
MinaNorth East TownshipWestfieldRipley
How the neighbors grade
Ripley has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Ripley and Westfield report no FBI crime data of their own. Mina isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ripley with a neighbor →
Questions about Ripley
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ripley, NY expensive?
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−.
What is Ripley, NY known for?
4 notable people were born here, including Richard T. Ely and Benjamin Goodrich.