| Official Name: | Ripley, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Motto: | "The Gateway to New York State" |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chautauqua |
| Government Type: | Town Council |
| Leader Title: | Town Supervisor |
| Leader Name: | Douglas Bowen |
| Leader Title1: | Town Council |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 126.57 |
| Area Land Km2: | 126.30 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.27 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 48.87 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 48.76 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.10 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 2310 |
| Population Density Km2: | 18.38 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 47.60 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 396 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1299 |
| Coordinates: | 42.2617°N -79.6981°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 14775 |
| Area Code: | 716 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-013-61885 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0979424 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Est: | 2292 |
Ripley is a town on Lake Erie in the westernmost part of Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The population was 2,310 at the time of the 2020 census.[2] The town was named after Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, a general in the War of 1812. There are no incorporated villages in the town, but there is one census-designated place: the hamlet of Ripley. The town is perhaps best known as being the western terminus of the New York State Thruway.
Ripley was first settled circa 1804 in the vicinity of Ripley village. The town was established in 1817 from part of the town of Portland.
Much of the economy of the town in recent years has been based on growing fruit, especially Concord grapes.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 126.6sqkm, of which 126.3sqkm is land and 0.3sqkm, or 0.21%, is water.[3]
The New York State Thruway (Interstate 90), US 20, NY 5, and NY 76 pass through the town.
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,636 people, 1,004 households, and 722 families residing in the town. The population density was 53.9sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,211 housing units at an average density of 9.6 persons/km2 (24.7 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 98.25% White, 0.19% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. 1.44% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,004 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 7.7% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,237, and the median income for a family was $37,083. Males had a median income of $28,278 versus $23,359 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,652. 10.3% of the population and 7.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 12.1% are under the age of 18 and 9.9% are 65 or older.