Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety88#1,865/15,637
Economy1#15,523/15,631
Housing5#14,169/14,977
Health52#7,517/15,609
Healthcare44#8,805/15,650
Environment59#6,265/15,453
Education88#1,931/15,649
Infrastructure74#4,070/15,650
Community41#9,172/15,651
Leisure & amenities45#8,550/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Alfred, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Allegany County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Students per teacher · low9.0×
100/100New York 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsAllegany County value
Violent crime rate · low29 /100k
99/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureAllegany County value
Public libraries · high3.6 /10k
97/100New York 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAllegany County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · high71.1%
97/100New York 40.2%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Hot days · low2 days
95/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAllegany County value
Social associations · high15.9 /10k
93/100New York 7.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAllegany County value

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.93%
0/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New business applications · low6.0 /1k
1/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAllegany County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.546
1/100New York 0.517United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Poverty rate · high37.4%
1/100New York 14.0%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Unemployment rate · high16.4%
2/100New York 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025
Child care cost burden · high42.7%
4/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAllegany County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
4,293 (2015-2019) → 4,819 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Unemployment rateWorsening
2.2% (2015-2019) → 16.4% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
9.6 min (2015-2019) → 12.2 min (2020-2024)
+28%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.3× (2015-2019) → 4.2× (2020-2024)
+27%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
62.9% (2015-2019) → 57.9% (2020-2024)
−5.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateWorsening
33.2% (2015-2019) → 37.4% (2020-2024)
+4.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Alfred, New York improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Alfred, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	9.6 min2015-2019	12.2 min2020-2024	+2.7 min	Within the margin of error	22%
Bachelor's degree or higher	72.9%2015-2019	71.1%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Broadband subscriptions	89.6%2015-2019	91.3%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Child poverty rate	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Effective property tax rate	3.40%2015-2019	2.94%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	88%
High school diploma or higher	97.5%2015-2019	97.5%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	4.2×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	26%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5432015-2019	0.5462020-2024	+0.004	Within the margin of error	47%
Median household income	$33,7502015-2019	$40,6252020-2024	+20%	Within the margin of error	34%
Poverty rate	33.2%2015-2019	37.4%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Rent as share of income	39.3%2015-2019	39.8%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent-burdened households	62.9%2015-2019	57.9%2020-2024	−5.1 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.1%2015-2019	3.2%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	33%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Alfred, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Alfred, New York in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Alfred, New York itself moved −2.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,819 residents (±226)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29
10–19
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 30–39 women (+1.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,819 residents (±226)

Alfred, New York
New York share

White68%3,299
Black8.3%398
Hispanic or Latino13%626

Education

797 residents (±138)

Alfred, New York
New York share

No high school diploma2.5%†20
High school or GED9.9%†79
Some college12%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

691 households (±127)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Under $25k37%†259
$25k–50k22%†152
$50k–75k8.7%†60
$75k–100k11%†73
$100k–150k12%†83
$150k–200k3.9%†27
$200k or more5.4%†37

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

691 households (±127)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Own48%333
Rent52%358

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+14.4 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

348 households (±91)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Under $75026%†90
$750–1,00045%†155
$1,000–1,50026%†89

Home values

333 homes (±78)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Under $150k42%†139
$150k–250k49%†164
$250k–400k6.3%†21

Age of homes

742 homes (±126)

Alfred, New York
New York share

2010 or later0.5%†4
2000–20095.7%†42
1980–19996.3%†47

Size of homes

742 homes (±126)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Studio6.6%†49
1 bedroom27%†198
2 bedrooms19%†143

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,461 workers (±211)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Drive alone38%562
Carpool4.2%†61
Public transit2.3%†34
Walk37%541
Bike0.8%†12
Work from home16%†233
Other1.2%†18

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Walk (−34.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,228 workers (±210)

Alfred, New York
New York share

Under 15 min71%871
15–29 min20%†250
30–44 min6.2%†76

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Allegany County, the county holding most of Alfred's residents.

Allegany County has 731 employer establishments, 157 for every 10,000 residents (0.63× the US rate of 248; 0.57× New York's), with 10,181 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,261. The Census Bureau also counts 2,516 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 731; 2,516 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 157; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 10,181
Average annual pay: $41,261; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Allegany County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	62	13.3	0.72×Fewer than typical	709	$20,094	17
Religious organizations	51	10.9	1.97×More than typical	158	$18,259	—
Ambulatory health care services	35	7.5	0.36×Fewer than typical	393	$55,842	107
Full-service restaurants	35	7.5	0.98×About typical	395	$19,881	4
Specialty trade contractors	35	7.5	0.48×Fewer than typical	177	$80,605	250
Automotive repair and maintenance	24	5.1	1.02×About typical	83	$40,639	53
Gasoline stations	24	5.1	1.59×More than typical	206	$27,466	—
Construction of buildings	20	4.3	0.57×Fewer than typical	101	$41,752	121
Limited-service restaurants	20	4.3	0.53×Fewer than typical	286	$20,423	10
Banks and credit unions	19	4.1	1.26×More than typical	116	$39,241	—
General merchandise stores	18	3.9	2.18×More than typical	150	$27,240	33
Services to buildings and dwellings	16	3.4	0.51×Fewer than typical	51	$27,941	118

Rank places for an industry Open Allegany County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 46,694 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $1,473 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Alfred, New York: $0.31 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1,473
Per resident: $0.31; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

U.S. Geological Survey$1,473100%

Top recipients

ALFRED UNIVERSITY$1,473100%

Spending by fiscal year

1.5KFY2017
3.4KFY2018
1.5KFY2019
1.5KFY2020
2.2MFY2022
1.1MFY2023
1.5KFY2026

What was bought

Professional services

Top industries (NAICS)

Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$1,473100%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Alfred, New York

NY01 - USGS PRECIPITATION SAMPLE COLLECTION AT NADP - NTN SITE NY01$1,500
ALFRED UNIVERSITY· Allegany County, NY· Professional services· May 18, 2026 – Jun 29, 2026· 140G0126P0162

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Alfred, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Alfred, New York's figures are part of those of Allegany County, NY ($4.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Alfred is mostly in Allegany County.

See federal money in Allegany County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Alfred, New York is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Nicholas A. LangworthyR-NY-23 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.6%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Allegany County65100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Allegany County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3601198