Scores by category

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

Safety55#7,002/15,637
Economy15#13,335/15,631
Housing48#7,803/14,977
Health32#10,607/15,609
Healthcare45#8,603/15,650
Environment73#4,235/15,453
Education47#8,319/15,649
Infrastructure25#11,777/15,650
Community52#7,484/15,651
Leisure & amenities78#3,382/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Brocton, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Chautauqua 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 · low9.5×
99/100New York 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsChautauqua County value
Hot days · low1 days
97/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationChautauqua County value
Social associations · high16.5 /10k
95/100New York 7.9 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChautauqua County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
93/100New York 4.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
91/100New York 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesChautauqua County value
Drought exposure · low7%
84/100New York 15%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAChautauqua County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low6.4 /1k
1/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauChautauqua County value
Effective property tax rate · high2.58%
1/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Hospital quality rating · low1.5
3/100New York 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesChautauqua County value
Child care cost burden · high43.8%
3/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteChautauqua County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100New York 3.7United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationChautauqua County value
Primary care shortage · high17.0
9/100New York 5.7United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationChautauqua County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,336 (2015-2019) → 1,404 (2020-2024)
+5.1%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.0% (2015-2019) → 93.8% (2020-2024)
+26 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedImproving
0.7 /1k (2021) → 1.4 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+109%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
27.7% (2015-2019) → 45.5% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
48.4% (2015-2019) → 37.4% (2020-2024)
−11 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$38,218 (2015-2019) → $58,500 (2020-2024)
+53%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Brocton, New York improved on 2 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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.

Improved2

Broadband+26 points68.0% → 93.8%
Household income+53%$38,218 → $58,500

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Brocton, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.7 min2015-2019	16.8 min2020-2024	−2.9 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.2%2015-2019	24.1%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Broadband subscriptions	68.0%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+26 points	Improved	96%
Child poverty rate	27.7%2015-2019	45.5%2020-2024	+18 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Effective property tax rate	3.23%2015-2019	2.58%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	96%
High school diploma or higher	93.5%2015-2019	91.1%2020-2024	−2.3 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	83%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4202015-2019	0.3732020-2024	−0.047	Within the margin of error	83%
Median household income	$38,2182015-2019	$58,5002020-2024	+53%	Improved	87%
Poverty rate	18.7%2015-2019	24.6%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.3%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Rent-burdened households	48.4%2015-2019	37.4%2020-2024	−11 points	Within the margin of error	84%

“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 Brocton, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brocton, 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, Brocton, New York itself moved +14.1 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

1,404 residents (±206)

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: Under 10 women (+6.2 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

1,404 residents (±206)

Brocton, New York
New York share

White72%1,017
Black0.7%†10
Hispanic or Latino21%†295
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.3%†4
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races5.6%†78

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−20.4 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

870 residents (±140)

Brocton, New York
New York share

No high school diploma8.9%†77
High school or GED39%340
Some college15%†134
Associate degree13%†109
Bachelor's degree17%†145
Graduate degree7.5%†65

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 B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

530 households (±85)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Under $25k20%†105
$25k–50k21%†109
$50k–75k26%†136
$75k–100k17%†92
$100k–150k12%†64
$150k–200k4.5%†24
$200k or more0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−15.1 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 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

530 households (±85)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Own65%342
Rent35%188

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

Table view

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

Rent paid

174 households (±48)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Under $75049%†85
$750–1,00042%†73
$1,000–1,5005.2%†9

Home values

342 homes (±65)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Under $150k76%259
$150k–250k19%†64
$250k–400k2.9%†10

Age of homes

581 homes (±99)

Brocton, New York
New York share

2010 or later1.0%†6
2000–20093.3%†19
1980–199929%†168

Size of homes

581 homes (±99)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Studio0.9%†5
1 bedroom11%†64
2 bedrooms21%†120

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

546 workers (±125)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Drive alone73%400
Carpool16%†86
Public transit0.0%0
Walk2.4%†13
Bike1.8%†10
Work from home4.4%†24
Other2.4%†13

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−18.4 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

522 workers (±121)

Brocton, New York
New York share

Under 15 min49%256
15–29 min39%†201
30–44 min5.9%†31

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

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY

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 Chautauqua County, the county holding most of Brocton's residents.

Chautauqua County has 2,695 employer establishments, 215 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248; 0.79× New York's), with 37,679 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,072. The Census Bureau also counts 7,745 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,695; 7,745 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 215; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 37,679
Average annual pay: $46,072; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	245	19.6	1.07×About typical	3,120	$22,145	34
Specialty trade contractors	158	12.6	0.82×About typical	995	$70,926	565
Ambulatory health care services	153	12.2	0.59×Fewer than typical	1,653	$75,206	291
Religious organizations	123	9.8	1.77×More than typical	591	$25,915	—
Full-service restaurants	115	9.2	1.20×About typical	1,460	$21,866	16
Limited-service restaurants	99	7.9	0.99×About typical	1,552	$21,952	10
Automotive repair and maintenance	83	6.6	1.32×More than typical	291	$36,660	120
Construction of buildings	77	6.2	0.81×About typical	356	$50,514	410
Services to buildings and dwellings	71	5.7	0.84×About typical	356	$42,531	448
Lessors of real estate	68	5.4	0.44×Fewer than typical	252	$35,913	681
Building equipment contractors	63	5	0.84×About typical	545	$65,334	82
Banks and credit unions	61	4.9	1.51×More than typical	474	$57,563	—

Rank places for an industry Open Chautauqua County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 125,061 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Brocton, New York: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

141.8FY2018
895.4FY2020
-184.5FY2021

What was bought

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 Brocton, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Brocton, New York's figures are part of those of Chautauqua County, NY ($63.1M 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: Brocton is mostly in Chautauqua County.

See federal money in Chautauqua 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.

Brocton, 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.

Chautauqua County65100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY65

Other cities and towns in Chautauqua 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/3608488