About one in 3 of Olean’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Allegany (10%), Olean (3%) and Little Valley (3%). Half commute less than 4 miles.

37%work in town

Where working residents work

In Olean37%

Allegany10%

Olean3%

Little Valley3%

Buffalo2%

4 mi

median commute distance

7,536

jobs based in Olean

Balanced

jobs vs. working residents

Census LEHD 2023 · ACSCommute map →

Outdoors

6% of Olean is conserved land

5.6 miles of trails across 9 parks and preserves.

#149for trails in NY

Map of Olean: conserved land, trails and the top places to walk — Green: conserved land · dashed: trails · numbers: the places below

conserved · 235 of 3,924 acres

5.6 mi

of trails · 0.9 per sq mi

#329

most conserved land in NY

#123

most walkable in NY

Biggest places to walk	Trails	Acres
1. Franchot Field	0.5 mi	12
2. Lincoln Park	0.4 mi	2
3. Forness Park	—	16

Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-USParks & trails →

Safety

Less crime per resident than 11% of U.S. towns

Olean reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.

DSafety Grade

Violent crime per 1,000 residents

Olean2.8

New York3.7

U.S.3.3

Property crime per 1,000 residents

Olean34.3

New York15.7

U.S.15.5

11th

percentile among U.S. towns we grade

8th

percentile among NY towns

violent crimes reported in 2025

464

property crimes reported in 2025

FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to policeFull safety report →

Schools

Olean’s public schools outperform 16% of New York districts

The public schools Olean’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 84% of New York’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.

C−School Grade

School	Grades	Students	Grade
East View Elementary School	PK–3	347	C+
Washington West Elementary School	PK–3	284	C−
Southern Tier Catholic School Private	PK–7	37
Southern Tier Catholic Walsh School Private	PK–7	37
Olean Intermediate-Middle School	3–8	534	D
Olean Senior High School	8–12	668	B+

NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduationAll 7 schools →

Health

Healthier than 32% of U.S. towns

Olean beats the New York average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 18.

CHealth Grade

32 measures vs. New York

0 better14 too close to call18 worse

What stands out	Olean	NY
More older adults who have lost all their teeth	21.9%	12.8%
More adults with COPD	9.5%	6%
More smokers	17.3%	11.3%

Olean General Hospital

0.6 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

12th

percentile among NY towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSAFull health report →

Climate

Snowy winters, pleasant summers

Olean has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 81°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 65 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.

65″snow a winter

Typical low → high °F

Winter17–35°

Spring32–57°

Summer53–79°

Fall38–60°

Oct 11

typical first frost

May 7

typical last frost

+1.0°

vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020Full climate →

Natural hazards

Low risk, with inland flooding at the top

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 39% of U.S. communities.

39risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

Inland floodingTornadoes

paid flood claims since 1981

federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMANatural hazards →

Landmarks

10 places in Olean on the National Register of Historic Places.

All landmarks →

Olean Public Library

US Post Office-OleanBuilt 1910

Olean Armory

Oak Hill Park Historic District

Famous people from Olean

29 notable people were born in Olean.

See all 29 →

Jeff FaheyAmerican actor · born 1952

Louis ZamperiniItalian-American middle distance runner and World War II veteran · 1917–2014

Larry TraskAmerican linguist · 1944–2004

Jeremy LarnerAmerican academic · 1937–2026

Robert LaxAmerican poet · 1915–2000

George Harmon CoxeAmerican writer · 1901–1984

About Olean

City in New York, United States

Official town website ↗

Olean ( OH-lee-ann, Seneca: Johíhso') is a city in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. Olean is the largest city in Cattaraugus County and serves as its financial, business, transportation and entertainment center. It is one of the principal cities of the Southern Tier region of Western New York. As of the 2020 census, Olean had a population of 13,937. The city is surrounded by the town of Olean and is located in the southeastern part of Cattaraugus County.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)