Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety77#210/924
Economy19#754/925
Housing61#360/925
Health42#539/925
Healthcare23#711/923
Environment74#240/917
Education29#661/925
Infrastructure30#649/925
Community52#444/925
Leisure & amenities52#448/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Olean, NY micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
98/100New York 4.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Hot days · low1 days
97/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high1.7 /10k
93/100New York 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high13.4 /10k
90/100New York 10.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · low8.7 /100k
90/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Job growth · high1.8%
88/100New York -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high1.92%
2/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Child care cost burden · high43.8%
2/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
New business applications · low7.3 /1k
4/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child poverty rate · high27.4%
10/100New York 17.9%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Preventable hospital stays · high3,885 /100k
11/100New York 2,733 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low83.9%
12/100New York 90.8%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

Homicide rateWorsening
2.4 /100k (2021) → 4.5 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+88%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
4.1 /1k (2020) → 7.3 /1k (2025)
+77%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.7% (2015-2019) → 83.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child care cost burdenWorsening
33.3% (2020 & 2021) → 43.8% (2023 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
50.2% (2010 & 2021) → 59.2% (2022 & 2024)
+9 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
45.0% (2019) → 37.0% (2023)
−8 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%

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, Olean, NY micropolitan area improved on 10 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 10. 7 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved10

Property tax−0.6 points2.52% → 1.92%
Unemployment−4.9 points9.1% → 4.2%
New businesses+77%4.1 /1k → 7.3 /1k
Broadband+12 points71.7% → 83.9%
Violent crime−30%174 /100k → 122 /100k

Declined10

Homicides+55%2.9 /100k → 4.5 /100k
Poverty+2.6 points16.5% → 19.1%
Child poverty+4.3 points23.1% → 27.3%
Restaurants−13%13.4 /10k → 11.7 /10k
Gyms−32%0.8 /10k → 0.5 /10k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Olean, NY micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.0 /10k2020	2.8 /10k2025	−6.8%	Declined	18%
Average commute time	22.1 min2015-2019	22.6 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	46%
Average weekly wage	$8582020	$1,0722025	+25%	Improved	66%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.1%2015-2019	21.1%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Improved	32%
Broadband subscriptions	71.7%2015-2019	83.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	78%
Child poverty rate	23.1%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Declined	5%
Distance to an airport	51 mi2020	51 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	19.5 /100k2020	22.5 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+15%	Declined	19%
Effective property tax rate	2.52%2015-2019	1.92%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Improved	100%
Firearm deaths	9.8 /100k2020	8.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−11%	Improved	68%
Grocery stores	2.1 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−17%	Declined	13%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.8 /10k2020	0.5 /10k2025	−32%	Declined	11%
High school diploma or higher	88.8%2015-2019	89.5%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	90%
Homicide rate	2.9 /100k2020	4.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+55%	Declined	5%
Income adjusted for local prices	$43,8462019	$56,0132024	+28%	Improved	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4332015-2019	0.4412020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	32%
Median household income	$48,7032015-2019	$59,5402020-2024	+22%	Improved	24%
New business applications	4.1 /1k2020	7.3 /1k2025	+77%	Improved	85%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	23%
Poverty rate	16.5%2015-2019	19.1%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Declined	4%
Property crime rate	1,042 /100k2020	1,033 /100k2025	−0.8%	Little change	6%
Public libraries	1.7 /10k2019	1.7 /10k2024	+1%	Little change	71%
Rent as share of income	28.7%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	73%
Rent-burdened households	46.8%2015-2019	45.6%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	69%
Restaurants and bars	13.4 /10k2020	11.7 /10k2025	−13%	Declined	8%
Suicide rate	14.3 /100k2020	14.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.5%	Little change	53%
Traffic deaths	10.9 /100k2015-2019	11.8 /100k2020-2024	+8.6%	Declined	47%
Unemployment rate	9.1%2020	4.2%2025	−4.9 points	Improved	91%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.4%2015-2019	7.6%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	65%
Violent crime rate	174 /100k2020	122 /100k2025	−30%	Improved	75%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Olean, NY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Olean, NY micropolitan area 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, Olean, NY micropolitan area itself moved −4.9 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

76,145 residents

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: 50–59 women (−1.3 points).

Table view

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

Race and Hispanic origin

76,145 residents

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

White88%66,800
Black1.4%1,086
Hispanic or Latino2.4%1,817

Education

52,793 residents (±106)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

No high school diploma11%5,558
High school or GED41%21,531
Some college16%8,251

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

31,895 households (±379)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k21%6,824
$25k–50k22%6,943
$50k–75k17%5,427
$75k–100k14%4,309
$100k–150k17%5,383
$150k–200k5.6%1,773
$200k or more3.9%1,236

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+5.5 points).

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

31,895 households (±379)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Own75%23,996
Rent25%7,899

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.6 points).

Table view

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

Rent paid

7,101 households (±472)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Under $75047%3,331
$750–1,00027%1,905
$1,000–1,50022%1,596

Home values

23,996 homes (±405)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Under $150k62%14,809
$150k–250k23%5,627
$250k–400k10%2,430
$400k–750k

Age of homes

40,356 homes (±77)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

2010 or later4.1%1,643
2000–20096.7%2,696
1980–199920%8,253

Size of homes

40,356 homes (±77)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Studio1.9%†768
1 bedroom11%4,335
2 bedrooms23%9,400

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

31,566 workers (±623)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone76%23,919
Carpool9.4%2,952
Public transit0.4%†131
Walk4.8%1,521
Bike0.2%†70
Work from home8.0%2,515
Other1.5%458

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−6.8 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

29,051 workers (±674)

Olean, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Under 15 min43%12,471
15–29 min27%7,961
30–44 min15%4,320

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 no occupation wages for Olean, NY micropolitan area.

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.

Olean, NY has 1,501 employer establishments, 198 for every 10,000 residents (0.80× the US rate of 248), with 19,887 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,578. The Census Bureau also counts 4,071 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,501; 4,071 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 198; US 248
Paid employees: 19,887
Average annual pay: $46,578; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	136	18	0.98×About typical	1,827	$22,634	17
Ambulatory health care services	84	11.1	0.53×Fewer than typical	807	$71,258	158
Specialty trade contractors	83	11	0.71×Fewer than typical	386	$70,212	347
Full-service restaurants	69	9.1	1.19×About typical	1,143	$22,850	6
Religious organizations	65	8.6	1.55×More than typical	286	$30,339	—
Limited-service restaurants	48	6.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	585	$21,802	5
Construction of buildings	47	6.2	0.82×About typical	194	$67,649	162
Lessors of real estate	43	5.7	0.46×Fewer than typical	128	$37,555	371
Automotive repair and maintenance	42	5.6	1.10×About typical	192	$41,693	76
Services to buildings and dwellings	35	4.6	0.69×Fewer than typical	81	$34,111	228
Banks and credit unions	34	4.5	1.39×More than typical	525	$50,878	3
Gasoline stations	33	4.4	1.35×More than typical	399	$26,514	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 75,671 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $70.4M on contracts performed in Olean, NY micropolitan area: $933 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $70.4M; −61% vs FY2025
Per resident: $933; US $1,995
Sole-source: 93%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.5%; 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

Departmental Offices$36.2M51%
Bureau of the Fiscal Service$19.6M28%
Federal Aviation Administration$5.5M7.8%
Federal Acquisition Service$5.2M7.4%
Food and Drug Administration$3.1M4.4%
Department of the Army$775.2K1.1%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$544.9K0.8%
Department of State$382.9K0.5%

Top recipients

SENECA STRATEGIC PARTNERS, LLC$42M60%
SENECA TECHNOLOGIES, LLC$20M28%
FENTON MOBILITY PRODUCTS INC$5.2M7.4%
VIRIDIS POINT, LLC$3.1M4.4%
WEST VALLEY CLEANUP ALLIANCE, LLC$2.2M3.2%

Spending by fiscal year

77.3MFY2017
80.6MFY2018
92.1MFY2019
88.2MFY2020
104.1MFY2021
140.6MFY2022
254.7MFY2023
224.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$36.5M52%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$19.9M28%
Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361$5.6M8.0%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$3.2M4.5%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$2.2M3.1%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419

Largest awards

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $579.5M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Olean, NY micropolitan area: $7,687 per resident (US $12,957).

Assistance · FY2026: $579.5M; −6.7% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,687; US $12,957
Loan face value: $11.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$325.6M56%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$53.6M9.2%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$49.7M8.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$31.6M5.5%
84.041 · Impact Aid$26.2M4.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$17.4M3.0%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$10.4M1.8%
84.184 · School Safely National Activities$5.2M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

SALAMANCA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT$24.3M4.2%
SALAMANCA, NY
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEW YORK$17.8M3.1%
ALBANY, NY
SENECA NATION OF INDIANS$12.2M2.1%
SALAMANCA, NY
CITY OF OLEAN$5.6M1.0%
OLEAN, NY
FRANKLINVILLE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT$5.4M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$428.1M74%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$56.3M9.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$36.7M6.3%
Federal Highway Administration$23.2M4.0%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$7.3M

Assistance by fiscal year

532.1MFY2021
506.7MFY2022
549.5MFY2023
587.3MFY2024
621MFY2025
579.5MFY2026

County aggregates

85%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Olean, NY

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Cattaraugus CountyCentral county4975,390

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

OleanPrincipal city13,738

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in New York

Areas based in New York, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M36460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved10

Declined10

Metro and micro areas like Olean, NY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Getting to work

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Olean, NY

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in New York

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved10

Declined10

Household income

Age and sex

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Owners and renters

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

How people get to work

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought