Elma is a somewhat small town located in the state of New York. With a population of 8,729 people and two constituent neighborhoods, Elma is the 238th largest community in New York.

Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Elma is neither predominently one or the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Elma is a town of sales and office workers, professionals, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Elma who work in office and administrative support jobs (13.43%), management occupations (11.58%), and sales jobs (11.05%).

In addition, Elma is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates," which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.

Elma is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town's good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Elma's overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

Elma is very much a car-oriented town. This is because the population of Elma isn't large enough or dense enough to support an extensive public transit system. It has a lot of rural roads, and the distance between houses can be quite large, which together tends to discourage walking and bicycling to work. 97.29% of residents commute to work in their own car (and the drive is typically to a job out of town). People also tend to drive out of town for other services as well, such as shopping, doctors appointments, and more.

As is often the case in a small town, Elma doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Elma Information and Demographics

The overall education level of Elma citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 28.67% of adults in Elma have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 14.96%.

The per capita income in Elma in 2000 was $24,540, which is upper middle income relative to New York and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $98,160 for a family of four.

The people who call Elma home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Elma is White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Elma include Polish, German, Italian, Irish, and English.

The most common language spoken in Elma is English. Some people also speak Polish.