Looking eastward along U.S. 20A, 2020
Sheldon’s story
215 years in pictures
Census counts: 887 in 1820, 2,409 in 2010. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2020 and 2 maps from 1923 on.
- 1811Sheldon is settled
Population
2,336
2025 Census estimate · −1.4% since 2020
Median home value
$176K
Census ACS
Household income
$71K
median
Median age
48.9
years
Jobs based here
414
A commuter town
Is Sheldon a good place to live?
The best of Sheldon’s subject grades are a B+ for civic life and cost of living; the weakest is a C for incomes. Sheldon’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, where New York’s towns sit at 25 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. On the outdoors, just 36 of New York’s 1,216 towns do worse. Sheldon has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
WeakestCJobs & income
What makes Sheldon stand out
Where Sheldon beats most towns.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Sheldon5.3
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical NY town4.2
Civic lifeB+
28% more nonprofits per person
than the typical New York town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Natural hazardsB+
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
0historic places
History
Settled in 1811
A long history
A history going back 215 years.
A commuter town
93% of working residents leave Sheldon for work
Where Sheldon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
414jobs based in Sheldon
7%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Sheldon grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Sheldon is from typical.
Jobs & income$71K median household incomeCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 28% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →HealthWyoming County 12.4 miles awayB+Open →SchoolsBeat 64% of New York districts on tests and graduationBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 4.4 of 20; 4.5% of households have no car; 5.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors6 miles of trails; 0% conserved landDOpen →HistoryB+Open →Civic life5.3 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsB+Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Sheldon: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sheldon, and how to reach them.
PowerNew York State Elec & Gas22.6¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterVarysburg Water District #11 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers85% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpFrom the town’s siteTrash and recycling rulesTown site
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 hereWyoming County Board of ElectionsWyoming County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP codes14145, 14167, 14113, 1401114145 54% · 14167 36% · 14113 6% · 14011 5%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 Sheldon.
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
With 0.4 jobs for every working resident, most of Sheldon’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Sheldon for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Sheldon has added 78 jobs, to 414 in 2023. 12% of residents live below the poverty line in Sheldon, above both New York’s towns (9.5%) and U.S. towns (9.6%).
7%work in town
| Sheldon | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $71,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.4% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Sheldon7%
Warsaw9%
Aurora5%
Batavia5%
Rochester5%
20 mi
median commute distance
414
jobs based in Sheldon
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 45% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Low risk in Sheldon, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1998, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sheldon.
28risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland flooding
2
paid flood claims since 1998
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
HealthB+
Residents of Sheldon are healthier than 68% of U.S. towns
Sheldon beats the New York average on 5 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 18% of Sheldon adults binge drink.
68%healthier than U.S. townsB+Health Grade
| Sheldon | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 5.4% | 5.9% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 14% |
32 measures vs. New York
5 better23 too close to call4 worse
| What stands out | Sheldon | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.4% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.7% |
Wyoming County
12.4 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Climate
In Sheldon, a typical July afternoon runs cooler than in the typical New York or U.S. town
Sheldon’s July high is 78°F. Sheldon has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
109″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter17–32°
Spring33–54°
Summer56–76°
Fall40–58°
Oct 10
typical first frost
May 7
typical last frost
+1.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
OutdoorsD
0.4% of Sheldon is conserved land
5.9 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sheldon is 0.1 miles per square mile.
0.4%conserved
| Sheldon | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
0.4%
conserved · 132 of 30,153 acres
5.9 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 67 attractions →Highmark Stadium and 35 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sheldon. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaHighmark Stadium
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaRalph Wilson Stadium13 mi Theme parkSix Flags Darien Lake1.5M visitors a year
19 mi WaterfallEternal Flame Falls
27 mi Stadium & arenaKeyBank Center
27 mi MuseumUSS The SullivansSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Highmark 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
_underway_at_sea_on_29_October_1962_(USN_1063617).jpg){kind=link}
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Sheldon
18pages on Sheldon
The big questions
Out and about
The story
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Sheldon; the nearest are
Genesee Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Batavia22.3 mi$5,900 in-state tuitionUniversity at BuffaloUniversity or college · Public · Buffalo27.3 mi$10,936 in-state tuition
About 3 of every 100 Sheldon residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
About Sheldon
Town in New York, United States
Sheldon is an incorporated town in Wyoming County, New York. The population was 2,409 at the 2010 census. The Town of Sheldon is on the west border of Wyoming County. The town is southeast of Buffalo.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 47 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,490 ft
- Area code
- 585
Sheldon’s neighbors
5 towns share a border with Sheldon.
JavaOrangevilleBenningtonStrykersvilleWalesSheldon
How the neighbors grade
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheldon | — | — | B+ | — | B | B+ |
| Java | — | — | B | — | B | B+ |
| Orangeville | — | — | B | — | B | B− |
| Bennington | #330 | B | B− | — | B | B+ |
| Strykersville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wales | #100 | A | B | — | B+ | A |
Sheldon, Java and Orangeville have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sheldon, Java, Orangeville, Bennington and Wales report no FBI crime data of their own. Strykersville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sheldon with a neighbor →
Questions about Sheldon
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Sheldon, NY a good place to live?
28% more nonprofits per person than the typical New York town.
Is Sheldon, NY expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $176,000. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.