OTSEGO COUNTY
NEW YORK
2008
COUNTY FACT BOOK
INTRODUCTION
For several decades the Southern Tier East
Regional Planning Development Board has
periodically produced “county profile” reports for
each of its member counties. These profiles are
intended to be a ready source of information
concerning the people, economy, and public
services in the Region. This report is part of the
2007 series of county profiles which updates an
earlier series which had been produced in 2002.
While these profiles rely heavily upon information
provided by the US Census Bureau, data is also
included from other federal, state, and local sources.
However, because so much of the data is Census
based, typically the profiles are updated when the
decennial Census of Population and Housing, or the
various Economic Censuses become available. This pattern will change in future years as the American
Community Survey produces annual reports on population and housing at a detail previously only available
from the decennial census “long form” surveys.
Typically, as information becomes available, the Regional Board will prepare a detailed report and as
appropriate, an analysis of how the new information could affect the region and its counties. Much of this
information is incorporated in a summary form in this profile, with references provided to the more detailed
document which is available from the Regional Board.
The principal areas of update for this new profile series includes updated population estimates, new
business and labor patterns, and increased inclusion of state and national comparisons.
The information presented in this update is also intended to serve as the community data base for the
development of the Southern Tier East Regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and in
plans which will help the Region in its role as both an Economic Development District for the US
Department of Commerce, and a Local Development District for the Appalachian Regional Commission.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 1
1. POPULATION1
The US Census Bureau has estimated that on July 1, 2007, the population of Otsego County was 62,397
persons 2 . The accompanying table and graph illustrate two centuries of change in the population of Otsego
County from 1800 to the most recent census in 2000. As reported, the 2007 estimated population
represents a continuation of a slight increase in population which began with the 1950 Census and the
county’s peak population.
OTSEGO COUNTY POPULATION
1800 TO 2000
TABLE 1-A
OTSEGO COUNTY POPULATION
1800-2000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
80
00
20
19
60
19
40
19
20
19
00
19
80
18
60
18
40
0
18
Source: US decennial Censuses
Note: The population figures are rounded. The
figure for 2007 is from Census Bureau Estimates
60,000
20
82.2%
15.7%
14.5%
-3.5%
-2.0%
3.3%
-2.4%
4.9%
-1.0%
-3.9%
-3.5%
-2.1%
1.1%
-1.3%
10.2%
2.2%
8.3%
5.2%
2.4%
1.9%
1.2%
70,000
18
Decennial
Change
00
Reported
Population
21,300
38,800
44,900
51,400
49,600
48,600
50,200
49,000
51,400
50,900
48,900
47,200
46,200
46,700
46,100
50,800
51,900
56,200
59,100
60,500
61,676
62,397
18
Census
Year
1800
1810
1820
1830
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2007*
The graph and table show that after its formation, the population of Otsego County grew rapidly to just over
50,000 by 1830 at which time the population growth essentially stopped. The county population then
remained between 51,400 and 46,100 until after World War II. The current period of population growth
began in 1960 and has been associated with the growth of the colleges in Oneonta. However, since the
1970 Census the rate of population growth has slowed each decade. Even with the population growth after
World War II the currently estimated population of just under 62,400 is only 11,000 persons greater than
were counted in the 1830 Census, 170 years earlier. This pattern of slow population growth is fairly
common for rural parts of upstate New York.
1
Portions of this section have been summarized from Population Changes 1940-2000 Southern Tier East Census 2000 Monograph Series #2,
prepared by the Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board, October 2001.
2
See Table 1 , Summary and Analysis of Population Estimates for July 1, 2007: Southern Tier East Technical Paper # 08-05, Prepared by
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board, March, 2008, Page 2
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 2
1.1 RATE OF POPULATION CHANGE
RATE OF POPULATION CHANGE 1800 TO 2000
90%
United States
New York State
Otsego County
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
The accompanying graph places the county rate of
growth within the context of population growth rates at
the state and national levels. As shown on the graph,
the state generally grew at a rate faster than the
national average in the first half of the 19th and 20th
centuries, while it lagged behind the national averages
in the second half of each century. After World War II,
New York State never again grows as rapidly as the
nation as a whole.
30%
The graph shows that with two exceptions (1810 and
1980) the population of Otsego County has grown at a
10%
rate slower than either the state or national average
0%
throughout the past two centuries. In fact, between the
-10%
Civil War and World War II the county frequently
reported small population losses. These declines
appear to have been associated with an internal redistribution of population which included the growth of
villages and the abandonment of many of the more remote hill farms. Remarkable exceptions to this pattern
occurred with the 1950 and 1970 Censuses when the County’s rate of population growth was almost exactly
the same as the state as a whole (albeit still below the national population growth rate. The population
growth rate for the county also is about the same as the state in 1990 but at that point in time the county
population growth rate was recovering from the population losses of the 1980 Census.
90
19
70
30
50
19
19
19
90
10
19
18
50
30
70
18
18
18
10
18
17
90
20%
As shown on page 4, Table 1-B provides details concerning the population of the towns and villages in
Schoharie County. The table shows that since 1940 the population of the Town of Cobleskill increased by
just over 2,400, while the Village of Cobleskill increased by 1,900. The Town of Middleburgh was in third
with over a 1,400 increase. In contrast, the Town of Blenheim decreased in population by 85 persons, which
was the only decrease in the county
for the period of time between 1940
and 2000.
1.2 POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
As is depicted on the accompanying
map, the population of Otsego County
is dispersed among 34 political
entities - 24 towns, 9 villages and 1
city. The Village of Schenevus
disincorporated a few years ago and
is not included in this total, nor is the
previous village of Worcester which
was dissolved decades ago. These
sub-county general purpose units of
government range in size from the
277 people counted by the 2000
Census in the Village of Laurens to
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 3
the 13,292 persons recorded for the City of Oneonta. Fourteen of the Towns in Otsego County had
populations of less than 2,000 people at the time of the 2000 Census. Five of the villages had populations of
less than a thousand inhabitants and none had a population of more than two thousand.
For the 2000 Census Otsego County was
divided into 16 Census tracts, illustrated
on the accompanying map. Common
experience is that a community such as a
town would be divided into one or more
census tracts – which would be the rough
equivalent to a neighborhood. However,
with the exception of the City of Oneonta
and the Towns of Milford (CT 9905),
Oneonta (CT 9908), and Unadilla (CT
9916), the census tracts in Otsego County
typically encompassed between 2 and 4
towns. The Towns of Milford, Oneonta,
and Unadilla each have one census tract
which covers the entire Town including
any villages or census designated places
included therein. The City of Oneonta,
which contained 5 census tracts was the
only sub-county governmental unit within
Otsego County to have more than one
Census tract.
1.3 DAYTIME POPULATION
The traditional way of looking at a population is by its place of residence; however, another way of looking
at population statistics is to view where people work. The result is a measure of “Daytime Population” which
simply calculated the degree to which a place draws workers from neighboring places, or contributes
workers to them. In fact most places both contribute and draw workers so the measure is of the net effect of
this movement. The Census Bureau has computed this information for counties and larger selected
communities.
TABLE 1-B
COMPUTATION OF ‘DAYTIME POPULATION’ 2000
OTSEGO COUNTY AND SELECTED PLACES
Place *
Otsego
County
City of
Oneonta
E.
Daytime Population
Change due to
Commuting
F.
Workers who lived
and worked in
same county
Number
Percent
Number
Percent
G.
EmploymentResidence
Ratio (B/C)
-1.7%
20,733
76.9%
0.96
34.2%
3,612
70.6%
1.89
A.
Total
Population
2000
B.
Total
Workers
working
in Area
C.
Total
Workers
Residing
in Area
D.
Estimated
Daytime
Population
(A+B-C)
61,676
25,897
26,975
60,598
-1,078
13,292
9,659
5,117
17,834
4,542
Source: Special Census Bureau Tabulation PHC T-40. Employment-Residence ration is calculated by dividing
the number of workers working in the area by the total number of workers residing in the area (B/C). A ratio of
1.00 means the same number of workers work and reside in an area. A ratio greater than 1.00 indicates that
there is a net in-migration of workers from adjacent jurisdictions. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates that the
community is an exporter of workers.
*Information was reported only for places with either 2,500 workers living in the place or 2,500 workers
working in the place.
.
As is shown on the
accompanying Table 1B, Otsego County is a
net exporter of its
workforce while the City
of Oneonta, which is the
home of two college
campuses and a Job
Corps Center, is an
employment center for
the surrounding areas.
The estimated daytime
population of Otsego
County is significantly
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 4
lower than its resident population. Table 1-B shows that Otsego County as a whole has just over a thousand
fewer workers who work in the county than it has resident workers. The county data from the Census
Bureau is shown on the table, and indicates that Otsego County as a whole had a “daytime” population of
60,598 persons, compared with a resident population of 61,676 persons in 2000.
In contrast, the City of Oneonta is a net importer of workers. Table 1-B reports that the City has a calculated
daytime population of 17,834 which is 4,542 persons more than its resident population of 13,292. The
colleges and other significant employment opportunities in the City clearly influence this pattern
Unfortunately the Census Bureau has not prepared similar information for towns as this would help
complete the picture of employment centers and residential communities.
1.4 RECENT TRENDS AMONG MUNICIPALITIES
As previously noted in the discussion of Table 1-A Otsego County has recently experienced a period of
renewed population growth, although this growth has slowed somewhat in recent years. Between 1990 and
2000 the Census indicates that the county’s population grew by just under 2% which is one of the faster
growth rates in the Southern Tier East Region but which is about a fifth of the nation population growth.
Table 1-C which appears on the next page reports that within the county the highest growth rates between
1990 and 2000 were reported for the Village of Milford (10.6%) and the Towns of Westford (23.7%),
Pittsfield (16%), Plainfield (16%), Decatur (15.2%), Laurens (12%), Maryland (12%), New Lisbon (12%),
Middlefield (10.6%) and Butternuts (10.2%). In the case of the Town of Middlefield this represented a
population gain 289 persons, but more commonly this growth represented population gains of less than 200
persons per decade. Even with a modest number of 3 persons per household, this growth rate would
appear as between 5 and 10 new housing units being built each year. In general the nine towns with these
higher growth rates were smaller, with two thirds having populations of less than 1,500 persons land three
had a population of under a thousand.
In terms of population loss between 1990 and 2000 the leader was the Village of Richfield Springs which
was reported to have lost almost 11% of its population. Other communities with significant population losses
over that decade include Town of Richfield (-10.6%) and the Village of Unadilla (-10.9%); however, the
largest population loss was reported for the City of Oneonta which was reported to have lost 662 persons
over the decade. Again in terms of actual numbers these losses were relatively small.
In the Oneonta area, after reaching a peak population of just over 16,000 in 1970 the City of Oneonta
population has declined very slowly which is surprising given the presence of the two colleges and the Job
Corp site, which would be expected to support a population growth. 3
As shown on Table 1-C which appears on the next page, the most recent population estimates for the towns
and places in Otsego County follow a relatively predictable pattern with the City of Oneonta and all of the
incorporated villages in the county estimated to have lost population between the 2000 Census and July 1,
2006. The estimated population loss within the incorporated places was typically 5 to 6% and can be
presumed to mostly reflect the fact that the villages tended to have a slightly older population than their
surrounding towns.
3
in 2008 Hartwick College reported an enrollment of 1,480 students, while the State College at Oneonta reported an enrollment of 5,893. Most of
these almost 7,400 students are undergraduates and a significant portion of these would be expected to live on campus, however a significant
portion will live in town. There has been speculation that a significant portion of the “population loss” reported for the City of Oneonta is the result of
a failure to identify and fully enumerate the inhabitants of structures which have been transitioned into student housing over the years.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 5
TABLE 1-C
TABULATION OF POPULATION CHANGES 1940 TO 2006
OTSEGO COUNTY WITH MINOR CIVIL DIVISIONS
Population Change
1990 to 2000
2000 to 2006
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2006
#
%
#
%
Otsego County
46,082 50,763 51,942 56,181 59,075 60,517 61,676 62,583
1,159
1.9%
907
1.5%
Burlington
956
959
809
803
1,045
1,036
1,085
1,155
49
4.7%
70
6.5%
Butternuts
1,369
1,315
1,352
1,433
1,486
1,626
1,792
1,838
166
10.2%
46
2.6%
V. Gilbertsville
na
na
na
552
455
388
373
348
-15
-3.9%
-25 -6.7%
Cherry Valley
1,274
1,330
1,156
1,122
1,205
1,210
1,266
1,294
56
4.6%
28
2.2%
V. Cherry Valley
na
na
na
661
684
617
592
557
-25
-4.1%
-35 -5.9%
Decatur
324
279
254
281
312
356
410
430
54
15.2%
20
4.9%
Edmeston
1,580
1,563
1,721
1,709
1,732
1,717
1,824
1,867
107
6.2%
43
2.4%
Exeter
760
924
923
996
968
967
954
986
-13
-1.3%
32
3.4%
Hartwick
1,438
1,473
1,400
1,631
1,796
2,045
2,203
2,226
158
7.7%
23
1.0%
Laurens
1,395
1,447
1,498
1,730
2,101
2,349
2,402
2,417
53
2.3%
15
0.6%
V. Laurens
na
na
na
320
276
293
277
261
-16
-5.5%
-16 -5.8%
Maryland
1,460
1,556
1,386
1,465
1,690
1,716
1,922
1,965
206
12.0%
43
2.2%
V. Schenevus
na
na
na
540
625
513
nc
nc
nc
nc
nc
nc
Middlefield*
1,592
1,481
1,376
1,457
1,870
1,960
2,249
2,301
289
14.7%
52
2.3%
Milford
1,666
1,913
2,055
2,485
2,685
2,845
2,938
2,929
93
3.3%
-9 -0.3%
V. Milford
na
na
na
527
514
462
511
482
49
10.6%
-29 -5.7%
Morris
1,376
1,440
1,525
1,630
1,780
1,787
1,867
1,886
80
4.5%
19
1.0%
V. Morris
na
na
na
675
681
642
591
557
-51
-7.9%
-34 -5.8%
New Lisbon
801
877
812
523
948
996
1,116
1,174
120
12.0%
58
5.2%
Oneonta City
11,731 13,564 13,412 16,030 14,933 13,954 13,292 13,238
-662
-4.7%
-54 -0.4%
Oneonta
2,673
3,508
4,068
4,185
4,655
4,963
4,994
5,152
31
0.6%
158
3.2%
Otego
1,508
1,769
2,008
2,249
2,801
3,128
3,183
3,181
55
1.8%
-2 -0.1%
V. Otego
na
na
na
956
1,089
1,068
1,052
999
-16
-1.5%
-53 -5.0%
Otsego
4,074
4,304
4,121
3,998
4,012
3,932
3,904
4,087
-28
-0.7%
183
4.7%
V. Cooperstown (pt)
2,599
2,727
2,553
2,231
2,104
2,180
2,032
1,925
-148
-6.8%
-107 -5.3%
Pittsfield
796
850
880
850
1,067
1,116
1,295
1,351
179
16.0%
56
4.3%
Plainfield
670
729
764
742
847
850
986
1,032
136
16.0%
46
4.7%
Richfield
1,970
2,339
2,662
2,602
2,608
2,711
2,423
2,389
-288 -10.6%
-34 -1.4%
V. Richfield Springs
na
na
na
1,540
1,561
1,565
1,255
1,190
-310 -19.8%
-65 -5.2%
Roseboom
534
570
518
483
630
668
684
744
16
2.4%
60
8.8%
Springfield
1,135
1,184
1,121
1,136
1,239
1,267
1,350
1,396
83
6.6%
46
3.4%
Unadilla
2,277
2,689
3,649
3,863
4,020
4,343
4,548
4,505
205
4.7%
-43 -0.9%
V. Unadilla
na
na
na
1,489
1,367
1,265
1,127
1,060
-138 -10.9%
-67 -5.9%
Westford
685
602
526
435
652
634
784
824
150
23.7%
40
5.1%
Worcester
2,038
2,098
1,946
1,925
1,993
2,070
2,207
2,231
137
6.6%
24
1.1%
Sources: US Census Bureau decennial Census for 1940 through 2000, and US Census Bureau Estimates of Population as of July 1, 2006
Town population figures include Village populations. The Village of Schenevus was disincorporated after 1995, figures shown for subsequent
periods should be incorporated into the Town of Maryland. On this Table the Village of Cooperstown which is located in the Towns of Otsego
and Middlefield is reported as if it were entirely within the Town of Otsego. In 2000 the population of the portion of the Village of Cooperstown
located in the Town of Middlefield was 271 which was 13% of the Total Village population.
Minor Civil Division
Reported Population and 2006 Estimates
The accompanying graph indicates that the estimated population
of Otsego grew each year except for the last for which a loss of
almost 200 people was reported. However, the graph clearly
shows that the annual population growth has been declining for
several years. For the period 2000 to 2006 as a whole the county
still shows an estimated net population growth of just over 900 or
about 1.5%. This compares favorably with a state growth of 1.8%
but remains a fraction of the national growth of 6.2% for the
same 6 year period.
The population estimated for the City of Oneonta is estimated to
have lost the least among these incorporated communities – just
0.4% representing and average loss of fewer than ten residents
per year. However, the pattern of population change for the City
TRENDS IN RECENT POPULATION ESTIMATES
OTSEGO COUNTY 2000 TO 2006
63000
62500
62000
61500
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 6
is irregular – going up between July 1, 2000 and July 1, 2001, then dropping 2001-02, then gaining for the
next two years (2002-04) before declining again in 2004-05. The population estimate for the City is further
affected by the presence of a significant dormitory population associated with the State College, and
Hartwick College. Dormitory residents are counted as part of a “group quarters” population which has been
a perennial problem for the Census Bureau to count adequately.
Population changes over the most recent year estimated were usually very small, with two village
(Gilbertsville and Laurens) reporting no change, and one village (Otego) actually reporting an annual
increase, albeit of 4 persons.
Among the county’s towns all of the Towns reported population gains over the five year period despite the
losses estimated for the villages, with the exception of the Towns or Richfield and Unadilla. In those two
towns the population loss estimated for the village was large enough that it was greater than the estimated
population growth in the portion of the town outside of the village.
The greatest town population growth rates were estimated for the Towns of Middlefield and Roseboom, and
that portion of the Town of cherry Valley outside of the Village – all of which are located on the northeastern
portion of the county. The population growth rates for these communities – ranging from 8.2 to 8.6% - are
greater than the national growth rate which is estimated to have been in the range of 5 to 6%.
For the most part there have been only very small population changes estimated for the most recent year.
The exception is the Town of Oneonta which is estimated to have grown by 1.2% over the past year representing an estimated gain of 63 people.
1.5 POPULATION PROJECTIONS 4
The May 2008 projections prepared by the Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell University project
that the population of Otsego County will grow at a slowing rate from its population of 62,750 reported by
the 2000 Census to a peak of about 64,285 in about 2025 after which it is projected to decline to about
63,473 by 2035.
As depicted on the graph to the right the population
of Otsego County is shown to have a continuing bias
toward larger female cohorts which is projected to
carry through the projection period. Both male and
female population follow similar tracks; however, the
female population which starts out being more than
2,000 larger than the male population in 2005 is only
about 1,500 larger by 2035.
This closing of the gap between males and females
appears to result from slowing growth of the female
population after 2010. Both the male and female
populations reach their peaks in 2025. Although a
population decline is projected after 2025, the
projected population for 2035 remains somewhat
higher than that reported by the 2000 Census.
PRELIMINARY CORNELL POPULATION PROJECTIONS
2000 TO 2035 OTSEGO COUNTY
34,000
33,000
32,000
31,000
30,000
Male
Female
29,000
28,000
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
4
This section is adapted from Southern Tier East Technical Paper # 08-06, Review And Perspectives On Preliminary Cornell Population
Projections Through 2035, For Southern Tier East Region And Its Counties, Prepared by the Southern Tier East Regional Planning
Development Board, June 2008, Pages 20-22
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 7
TABLE 1-D
CORNELL POPULATION PROJECTIONS 2010 TO 2035
OTSEGO COUNTY
Census
Census
2005
PROJECTIONS
1990
2000
Estimate
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
Total
60,517
61,676
62,750
63,333
63,855
64,213 64,285
64,025
0 to 4
1,937
1,502
1,342
1,612
1,613
1,572
1,511
1,468
5 to 9
2,129
1,986
1,494
1,550
1,778
1,786
1,744
1,694
10 to 14
1,982
2,196
1,985
1,565
1,624
1,821
1,825
1,787
15 to 19
2,734
2,881
2,971
2,883
2,482
2,563
2,727
2,750
20 to 24
2,955
2,777
3,466
3,582
3,511
3,138
3,212
3,332
25 to 29
1,771
1,428
1,965
2,019
2,075
2,006
1,745
1,774
30 to 34
2,002
1,707
1,521
1,871
1,939
1,978
1,906
1,685
35 to 39
2,077
1,920
1,665
1,510
1,784
1,850
1,873
1,809
40 to 44
2,005
2,205
1,912
1,715
1,570
1,795
1,857
1,877
Male
45 to 49
1,635
2,181
2,202
1,902
1,709
1,571
1,754
1,815
50 to 54
1,380
2,077
2,164
2,297
2,030
1,826
1,683
1,842
55 to 59
1,226
1,649
1,977
2,099
2,236
2,002
1,798
1,661
60 to 64
1,274
1,300
1,515
1,899
2,023
2,159
1,948
1,752
65 to 69
1,266
1,121
1,188
1,375
1,724
1,840
1,963
1,786
70 to 74
986
1,048
967
1,022
1,183
1,482
1,582
1,688
75 to 79
746
864
795
750
792
918
1,149
1,228
80 to 84
467
536
579
547
517
545
631
788
85 and up
292
359
458
462
452
436
443
491
0 to 4
1,876
1,443
1,366
1,537
1,538
1,499
1,440
1,400
5 to 9
2,006
1,839
1,433
1,503
1,649
1,655
1,616
1,568
10 to 14
1,839
2,163
1,816
1,547
1,623
1,753
1,758
1,723
15 to 19
3,165
3,137
3,351
3,222
2,932
3,040
3,152
3,181
20 to 24
3,296
2,951
3,743
3,547
3,465
3,166
3,244
3,321
25 to 29
1,986
1,469
1,883
1,978
1,885
1,812
1,596
1,623
30 to 34
2,165
1,695
1,592
1,800
1,893
1,826
1,754
1,565
35 to 39
2,219
2,180
1,699
1,579
1,737
1,821
1,765
1,699
40 to 44
1,983
2,372
2,180
1,828
1,705
1,840
1,922
1,877
Female
45 to 49
1,724
2,306
2,365
2,154
1,826
1,703
1,809
1,887
50 to 54
1,294
2,009
2,235
2,380
2,195
1,877
1,748
1,834
55 to 59
1,286
1,744
1,976
2,196
2,342
2,176
1,867
1,740
60 to 64
1,464
1,280
1,635
1,954
2,168
2,314
2,158
1,860
65 to 69
1,455
1,210
1,198
1,462
1,751
1,937
2,062
1,928
70 to 74
1,243
1,275
1,116
1,063
1,291
1,549
1,708
1,817
75 to 79
1,093
1,146
1,107
998
960
1,163
1,397
1,540
80 to 84
833
856
918
943
856
836
1,005
1,217
85 and up
726
864
971
982
997
958
933
1,018
Source: Data for 1990, 2000, and 2005 from US Census; Projection prepared by Warren Brown, et al Program on Applied
Demographics, Cornell University College of Human Ecology, May 2008
Sex
Age
group
The accompanying Table 1-D presents the detailed age-sex
population projections for Otsego County prepared by the
Program on Applied Demographics at Cornell. These
projections are presented in separate blocks for males and
females and by 5-year cohorts. The projections are in five year
increments.
The accompanying graph shows how closely the rate of
population change projected for Otsego County follows that of
New York State as a whole, although the decline in the rate of
population change in the county is slightly faster than the State
as a whole. The decline in the rate of growth appears almost to
be linear in nature forming a slightly broken straight line from a
2% rate of increase in 2000 to a 1% rate of population loss in
2035.
2035
63,473
1,457
1,660
1,742
2,719
3,364
1,812
1,716
1,612
1,817
1,832
1,912
1,795
1,621
1,606
1,541
1,311
844
590
1,388
1,535
1,679
3,154
3,351
1,637
1,594
1,531
1,814
1,849
1,912
1,809
1,734
1,664
1,703
1,641
1,341
1,186
PROJECTED POPULATION CHANGE
OTSEGO COUNTY
WITH STATE AND REGIONAL COMPARISONS
Percent Change from Prior 5-year Increment by Year Period Ends
6%
5%
NEW YORK STATE
OTSEGO
SOUTHERN TIER EAST REGION
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%
-1%
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
-2%
-3%
-4%
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 8
The graph depicting the long term population trend for
Otsego County shows a pattern similar to that shown for
many other rural counties in the region. After a period of
rapid population growth from its initial settlement until about
1830 when it appears to have reached its “holding capacity”
for the agricultural community it then represented. For the
next century, the size of the county population ranged
around 50,000 with a slight decline just before World War II.
After the war and probably in response to the rapid growth
of SUNY-Oneonta and Hartwick College the population of
the county resumed a growth which carried it to just over
60,000 by the end of the 20th Century.
REPORTED AND PROJECTED POPULATION
1800 TO 2035 OTSEGO COUNTY
Preliminary Cornell Projections
70,000
60,000
Preliminary
Projections
50,000
40,000
Reported Population
30,000
20,000
10,000
1.6 AGE AND SEX
18
00
18
20
18
40
18
60
18
80
19
00
19
20
19
40
19
60
19
80
20
00
20
20
0
As is illustrated by the accompanying pair of population
pyramids, the age distribution of the population of Otsego
County is highly distorted when compared with the more traditional pyramid shown for the United States as
a whole. The 2000 pyramid for Otsego County shows the exaggerated bulge associated with the babyboom generation situated above an almost conical base which begins with small cohorts for the pre-teen
years expanding to the enlarged cohorts associated with the college populations.
NATIONAL POPULATION
BY AGE AND SEX 2000
AGE-SEX POPULATION PYRAMID
OTSEGO COUNTY 2000
Male
Female
Male
Female
80
80
70
5 -Y e a r A g e C o h o rts
70
60
50
40
30
20
-6.0%
-4.0%
-2.0%
60
50
40
30
20
10
10
0
<5
0.0%
2.0%
Percentage of Total Population
4.0%
6.0%
-5.0% -4.0% -3.0% -2.0% -1.0% 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0%
Percent of Total Population
A feature of the distorted college town pyramid is the fact that the college age student cohorts do not age,
nor do they significantly reproduce, rather they represent persons who temporarily reside in the community
for what is essentially a fixed term, after which they are replaced.
The population pyramid for Otsego County for 2000 is very different from the national average which is
shown below. The national pyramid has a classic shape sometimes referred to as the “coke bottle.” The
pyramid shows a pair of bulges. The upper bulge involves the “baby boomers,” while the lower and smaller
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 9
bulge represents their children – the so called “echo.” The constriction in the middle reflects the children of
the smaller generation that grew up during the great depression of the 1930’s.
All other features being equal, it would be expected that community pyramids would tend toward that of the
nation as a whole over time. However, in the case of communities where a population distortion is
attributable to a “special population” such as college students, the distorted population distribution can be
expected to continue for as long as the institution creating it remains in the community.
A feature of the distorted college town pyramid is the fact that the college age student cohorts do not age,
nor do they significantly reproduce, rather they represent persons who temporarily reside in the community
for what is essentially a fixed term, after which they are replaced.
POPULATION PYRAMID
AGE-SEX DISTRIBUTION OTSEGO COUNTY 2035
85 and up
80 to 84
75 to 79
70 to 74
65 to 69
60 to 64
55 to 59
50 to 54
45 to 49
40 to 44
35 to 39
30 to 34
25 to 29
20 to 24
15 to 19
10 to 14
5 to 9
0 to 4
-6% -5% -4% -3% -2% -1%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
The next population pyramid illustrates the age-sex
distribution projected for 2035 by the Cornell Program on
Applied Demographics. The 2000 pyramid had shown the
expected bulge in the 30 to 54 year old age group which
represents the baby boomers and the distinctively large
population cohorts for the 15 to 24 year olds who
represent the principal college age population. This
broader college cohort reflects the fact that both Hartwick
College and SUNY-Oneonta are 4-year schools.
When this population ages the projection for 2035
anticipates that the college age cohorts will continue to be
a major distortion in what otherwise is the emergence of
an almost cylindrical shaped pyramid where more post
college age cohorts all represent about 3% of the overall
population.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 10
1.7 POPULATION DENSITY
With an average population density of
approximately ten acres per persons,
there is no question that Otsego County
with a land area of just over a thousand
square miles is rural. As shown on Table
1-E most of the Towns within the county
have population densities of under 50
persons per square mile. The exceptions
to this pattern are the City of Oneonta and
the county’s nine incorporated villages.
As is shown on Table 1-E the Town of
Decatur and that portion of the Town of
Cherry Valley located outside of the
Village of Cherry Valley had the lowest
population
densities
of
the
local
governments in the county. The
population density for these two
communities was less than 20 persons
per square mile.
COMMUNITIES WITHIN OTSEGO COUNTY IN 2000
BY POPULATION PER SQUARE MILE
Includes Cities, Towns, Villages, and Census Designated Places
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Uner 50
50 to 99
100 to
499
500 to
999
1000 to
2999
3000 or
more
TABLE 1-E
LAND AREA AND POPULATION DENSITY FOR OTSEGO
COUNTY AND ITS MUNICIPALITIES
2000
Population
Land
Area
Population Density
Persons/ Persons/
Sq Mi
Acre
OTSEGO COUNTY
61,676 1002.80
61.50
0.10
Burlington Town
1,085
44.97
24.13
0.04
Butternuts Town
1,792
54.07
33.14
0.05
Gilbertsville Village
375
1.00
375.00
0.59
Remainder of Town
1,417
53.07
26.70
0.04
Cherry Valley Town
1,266
40.06
31.60
0.05
Cherry Valley Village
592
0.57
1,038.60
1.62
Remainder of Town
674
39.49
17.07
0.03
Decatur Town
410
20.59
19.91
0.03
Edmeston Town
1,824
44.55
40.94
0.06
Exeter Town
954
32.08
29.74
0.05
Hartwick Town
2,203
40.16
54.86
0.09
Laurens Town
2,402
42.57
56.42
0.09
Laurens Village
277
0.13
2,130.77
3.33
Remainder of Town
2,125
42.44
50.07
0.08
Maryland Town
1,920
51.75
37.10
0.06
Middlefield Town
2,249
64.40
34.92
0.05
Cooperstown Village (Part)*
245
0.31
790.32
1.23
Remainder of Town
2,004
64.10
31.26
0.05
Milford Town
2,938
46.11
63.72
0.10
Milford Village
511
0.48
1,064.58
1.66
Remainder of Town
2,427
45.63
53.19
0.08
Morris Town
1,867
39.03
47.83
0.07
Morris Village
591
0.73
809.59
1.26
Remainder of Town
1,276
38.30
33.32
0.05
New Lisbon Town
1,116
44.53
25.06
0.04
Oneonta City
13,292
4.38
3,034.70
4.74
Oneonta Town
4,994
33.50
149.07
0.23
West End CDP
1,813
3.78
479.63
0.75
Remainder of Town
3,181
29.72
107.03
0.17
Otego Town
3,183
44.88
70.92
0.11
Otego Village
1,052
1.15
914.78
1.43
Remainder of Town
2,131
43.74
48.72
0.08
Otsego Town
3,904
54.20
72.03
0.11
Cooperstown Village (Part)*
1,787
1.23
1,452.85
2.27
Remainder of Town
2,117
52.96
52.96
0.06
Pittsfield Town
1,295
37.73
34.32
0.05
Plainfield Town
986
29.46
33.47
0.05
Richfield Town
2,423
30.92
78.36
0.12
Richfield Springs Village
1,255
1.00
1,255.00
1.96
Remainder of Town
1,168
29.92
39.04
0.06
Roseboom Town
684
33.00
20.73
0.03
Springfield Town
1,350
42.97
31.42
0.05
Unadilla Town
4,548
46.41
98.00
0.15
Unadilla Village
1,127
1.08
1,043.52
1.63
Remainder of Town
3,421
45.33
75.47
0.12
Westford Town
784
33.76
23.22
0.04
Worcester Town
2,207
46.71
47.25
0.07
* The Village of Cooperstown is located in the Towns of Middlefield and Otsego in
Otsego County.
SOURCE: 2000 Census, Table GCT-PH1.Population, Housing Units, Area, and
Density: 2000, Census 2000 Summary File 1
The inserted bar chart illustrates the
distribution of local governmental entities
by population densities. Virtually all of the
governmental units with densities of fewer
than 100 persons per square mile are
either towns or the portion of towns
outside the boundaries of an incorporated
village. The governmental units with
population densities of greater than 500
persons per square mile are all villages. The City of Oneonta, with a population density of just over 3,000
persons per square mile is the largest and most densely populated governmental unit in the county.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 11
As is reported on the accompanying Table 1-F the
median age of the populations of the Towns and
Villages in Otsego County range from a low of 33.6
years in the rural town of Plainfield to as old as
45.1 years old in the Village of Richfield Springs.
The Town of Plainfield is also the only jurisdiction in
Otsego County which has a median age which is
lower than the statewide average of 35.9 years.
While the Village of Richfield Springs had the
highest median age, the Village of Cooperstown
was reported have the largest proportional
concentration of elderly with fully 27% of the
Village’s population being 65 years old or older.
This is more than twice the state average
proportion of 12.9% of the population being 65 or
older. The Towns of New Lisbon, Pittsfield, and
Plainfield and the City of Oneonta are the only
jurisdictions in the County with a proportion of
elderly which is less than the state average.
Table 1-F shows that about a quarter of the
population of the Town of Plainfield is under 15
years of age, which helps to explain the lower than
average median age previously discussed. Other
communities with proportions of persons under 15
years old include the Villages of Laurens (23.8%)
and Otego (23.3%). This may suggest that these
communities are serving a role as “satellite
communities” to neighboring Oneonta.
TABLE 1-F
2000 SELECTED AGE DISTRIBUTION FOR
OTSEGO COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES
Percentage of Population by Age
Median
Age
<15
15 to 24 24 to 65
65+
Burlington Town
20.5%
13.6%
51.9% 14.0%
38.0
Butternuts Town
20.0%
10.4%
55.0% 14.5%
41.4
Gilbertsville Village
21.0%
8.0%
46.9% 24.0%
42.9
Cherry Valley Town
20.8%
11.9%
51.7% 15.4%
39.8
Cherry Valley Village
18.6%
13.5%
51.1% 16.7%
40.6
Decatur Town
17.3%
12.7%
52.7% 17.3%
42.5
Edmeston Town
22.5%
10.8%
52.0% 14.6%
36.7
Exeter Town
17.6%
13.6%
54.3% 14.5%
41.0
Hartwick Town
21.4%
12.4%
52.3% 13.8%
39.6
Laurens Town
20.6%
11.5%
54.5% 13.2%
39.6
Laurens Village
23.8%
11.1%
50.8% 14.0%
38.8
Maryland Town
19.0%
12.3%
53.8% 15.1%
40.1
Middlefield Town
18.1%
10.4%
49.1% 22.3%
43.4
Milford Town
18.6%
10.7%
55.6% 15.0%
41.2
Milford Village
20.7%
12.9%
53.4% 12.9%
38.6
Morris Town
22.4%
10.3%
53.7% 13.5%
37.9
Morris Village
19.0%
10.2%
53.4% 17.5%
39.9
New Lisbon Town
20.4%
11.4%
54.2% 14.0%
40.2
Oneonta City
11.1%
45.7%
31.4% 11.8%
22.6
Oneonta Town
16.6%
16.4%
50.4% 16.6%
40.7
West End CDP
17.9%
9.8%
50.8% 21.5%
42.7
Otego Town
21.7%
11.2%
53.0% 14.1%
39.1
Otego Village
23.3%
11.8%
50.8% 14.1%
37.6
Otsego Town
18.1%
9.4%
51.4% 21.1%
44.2
Cooperstown Village
17.2%
8.3%
47.5% 27.0%
44.7
Pittsfield Town
22.3%
10.9%
55.0% 11.7%
38.4
Plainfield Town
25.6%
10.6%
52.9% 10.8%
33.6
Richfield Town
19.0%
11.1%
49.0% 21.0%
42.5
Richfield Springs Vill
16.7%
11.1%
49.2% 23.1%
45.1
Roseboom Town
19.0%
12.9%
55.4% 12.7%
39.3
Springfield Town
19.5%
12.1%
50.9% 17.5%
41.9
Unadilla Town
22.1%
11.3%
51.3% 15.3%
38.6
Unadilla Village
20.0%
14.4%
48.6% 17.1%
40.1
Westford Town
20.8%
11.3%
52.8% 15.0%
39.6
Worcester Town
19.6%
11.5%
52.2% 16.6%
40.8
OTSEGO COUNTY
18.1%
19.1%
47.9% 15.0%
37.1
New York State
20.6%
13.4%
53.1% 12.9%
35.9
* The Village of Cooperstown is located in the Towns of Middlefield and
Otsego in Otsego County. Source: 2000 Census Table DP-1
Only 11% of the population of the City of Oneonta
is under 15 years old, reflecting the proportional
dominance of the cohorts between 15 and 24 which
constitute over 45% of the City’s population. Noncollege communities with particularly low
proportions of under 15 populations include the Villages of Richfield Springs (16.7%) and Cooperstown
(17.2%), the Town of Decatur (17.3%) and Exeter (17.6%), and the West End Census Designated Place in
the Town of Oneonta (17.9%).
1.8 PLACE OF BIRTH
In 2000 the Census reported that 11.1% of the population was foreign born with roughly 60% of the foreign
born population being naturalized citizens of the United States. The 1850 decennial census was the first
census to collect data on the nativity of the population. According to the Census Bureau from 1850 to 1930,
the foreign-born population of the United States as a whole increased from 2.2 million to 14.2 million,
reflecting the large-scale immigration from Europe which occurred during most of this period. The foreignborn population rose from 9.7 percent of the national total in 1850 to 11.6 percent in 1930, but fluctuated in
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 12
the 13 percent to 15 percent range from 1860 to 1920. The highest percentages foreign born were 14.4
percent in 1870, 14.8 percent in 1890 and 14.7 percent in 1910.
The accompanying pie chart shows that in 2000 only
2.3% of the population of Otsego County was identified
as foreign born, while 81.2% were identified as having
been born within New York State. The remainder were
identified either as having been born elsewhere in the
United States or to be a native but born outside of the
United States (typically to parents working abroad). This
proportion of foreign born was about a fifth of the
national average of 11.1% previously mentioned.
NATIVITY AND PLACE OF BIRTH
Otsego County Population in 2000
Born in NYS,
50,063, 81%
Born Elsewhere
About a quarter of the foreign born were reported to be
in US,
Foreign Born,
living in Oneonta, with about half of these reported to be
Native, Born
9,711, 16%
1,416, 2%
outside US,
naturalized citizens. The Village of Cooperstown has a
486, 1%
somewhat higher proportion of foreign born – 6.2%
which is a little more than a half of the national rate.
However, about five-eighths of these are reported to be naturalized citizens. The proportion of foreign born
in Cooperstown probably reflects the staff at Bassett Hospital, but the proportion in Oneonta doesn’t reflect
the expected influence of the two colleges in the City.
Nationally the rate of immigration declined from 1930 to 1950.. The foreign-born population dropped to a
record low 4.7% percent of the total population in 1970. Immigration had risen during the 1950s and 1960s,
but was still low by historical standards, and mortality was high during this period among the foreign-born
population because of its old age structure which reflected four decades of low immigration. Since 1970, the
foreign-born population of the United States has increased rapidly due to large-scale immigration, primarily
from Latin America and Asia and into the southwestern states.
PLACE OF BIRTH OF FOREIGN BORN PERSONS
IN OTSEGO COUNTY 2000
Europe, 977, 64%
Asia, 166, 11%
North America,
161, 11%
Latin America,
150, 10%
Africa, 67, 4%
The second pie chart shows that about twothirds of the foreign born in Otsego County were
from Europe, while only a tenth were from Latin
America, despite the national trends. It should be
noted that approximately two thirds of the foreign
born persons in the county are naturalized
citizens. About 10% of the foreign born
population of Otsego County was born in North
America (presumably Canada or Mexico), Latin
America, or Asia. Lesser proportions were
reported to have been born in Africa or Oceania.
Oceania, 5, 0%
1.9 RACE
With the 2000 Census the Census Bureau changed the way it collected information concerning race which
made it impossible to compare the 2000 data with that from earlier censuses with any level of confidence. In
the 2000 Census individuals were allowed to select more than one “race” 5 . At the time of the 2000 Census
5
Approximately 2.6% of the national population identified themselves as being of two or more races..
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 13
1.7% of the Otsego County population was reported to be black, while another 0.6% was reported to be of
Asian background. As is shown on Table 1-G on the next page, these proportions were considerably lower
than the state average.
As reported on the accompanying Table 1-G the
proportion of Otsego County residents who classified
themselves as black ranged from a high of 6.1% in
the Town of Oneonta, to a low of 0.0% in the Villages
of Cherry Valley and Laurens, with the City of
Oneonta reporting a 3.9% black population. All of
these proportions are only a fraction of the state
average of 15.9% or the national average of 12.2%.
The table also shows that only 0.6% of the Otsego
County population identified themselves as being
Asian. This compares with a state average of 5.5%
and a national average of 3.7%. The highest
proportion of Asians was reported for the City of
Oneonta (1.4%) and the Village of Cooperstown
(1.6%). The Village of Laurens reported no Asian
population in 2000.
The Hispanic population may be of any race. In 2000
just under two percent of the population of Otsego
County reported itself to be of Hispanic origin. Again
the state proportion of 15.1% and the national rate of
12.5% were considerably higher. National statistics
suggest that about half of the Hispanic population
identified itself to be white. The largest concentration
of Hispanics was reported in the City of Oneonta
(3.6%) and the surrounding Town of Oneonta (3.4%),
while the lowest was for Cherry Valley Village (0.2%).
The low proportion of Hispanic and non-white
population can be an impediment when it comes to
attracting additional labor into the area as many
minorities may seek locations where there is a
minority community already established.
1.10 MARTIAL STATUS
MARITAL STATUS 2000 OTSEGO COUNTY
TABLE 1-G
2000 RACE AND HISPANIC ORIGIN FOR
OTSEGO COUNTY AND ITS MUNICIPALITIES
With County and State Comparisons
Race
Hispanic
Any
White
Black Asian
Other
Race
Burlington Town
97.1%
0.2%
0.3%
2.4%
1.7%
Butternuts Town
97.3%
0.8%
0.2%
1.6%
1.2%
Gilbertsville Village
96.3%
0.8%
0.3%
2.7%
1.3%
Cherry Valley Town
98.8%
0.1%
0.4%
0.8%
0.2%
Cherry Valley Village
99.0%
0.0%
0.5%
0.5%
0.2%
Decatur Town
98.8%
0.2%
0.2%
0.7%
1.5%
Edmeston Town
98.1%
0.4%
0.1%
1.4%
1.0%
Exeter Town
96.4%
1.6%
0.4%
1.5%
1.2%
Hartwick Town
98.0%
0.4%
0.7%
0.8%
1.4%
Laurens Town
97.0%
0.2%
0.1%
2.5%
1.5%
Laurens Village
98.6%
0.0%
0.0%
1.4%
1.4%
Maryland Town
98.8%
0.2%
0.2%
0.9%
1.1%
Middlefield Town
96.3%
1.1%
0.9%
1.7%
1.2%
Milford Town
97.5%
0.7%
0.6%
1.2%
1.9%
Milford Village
96.7%
0.2%
1.0%
2.2%
2.2%
Morris Town
96.8%
0.6%
0.2%
2.3%
1.7%
Morris Village
97.1%
0.3%
0.0%
2.6%
2.9%
New Lisbon Town
97.3%
0.9%
0.4%
1.3%
1.3%
Oneonta City
91.8%
3.9%
1.4%
2.9%
3.6%
Oneonta Town
90.7%
6.1%
0.8%
2.3%
3.4%
West End CDP
97.2%
0.7%
1.1%
1.0%
2.1%
Otego Town
97.5%
1.0%
0.4%
1.0%
1.2%
Otego Village
96.2%
2.1%
0.2%
1.6%
2.0%
Otsego Town
97.7%
0.6%
0.7%
1.0%
1.5%
Cooperstown Village
96.2%
0.9%
1.6%
1.2%
2.3%
Pittsfield Town
98.8%
0.2%
0.2%
0.8%
0.7%
Plainfield Town
98.5%
0.4%
0.2%
0.9%
0.6%
Richfield Town
97.5%
0.4%
0.5%
1.6%
0.4%
Richfield Springs Vill
96.0%
0.6%
0.9%
2.6%
0.6%
Roseboom Town
98.4%
0.1%
0.9%
0.5%
0.7%
Springfield Town
98.6%
0.1%
0.2%
1.0%
1.2%
Unadilla Town
97.1%
0.9%
0.2%
1.8%
1.2%
Unadilla Village
97.1%
0.5%
0.1%
2.3%
1.1%
Westford Town
98.1%
0.3%
0.1%
1.5%
1.9%
Worcester Town
97.5%
0.6%
0.2%
1.7%
1.0%
OTSEGO COUNTY
95.8%
1.7%
0.6%
1.8%
1.9%
New York State
67.9% 15.9%
5.5% 10.7% 15.1%
* The Village of Cooperstown is located in the Towns of Middlefield
and Otsego in Otsego County.
Source: 2000 Census Table DP-1 As calculated for this table, “other”
includes those reporting multiple races. Special compilation by
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board.
Portion of Population 15 Years Old or Older
Now Married,
Spouse Absent,
4739, 9%
Widowed, 3706,
7%
Now Married,
Spouse Present,
24297, 49%
Divorced, 4210,
8%
The accompanying pie chart shows that according to
the 2000 Census approximately half of the adult
population of Otsego County (those 15 years old or
older) was married with their spouse present.
Another ten percent were currently married but their
spouse was not present – usually separated. A little
over a quarter of the adult population was single and
Single, Never
Married, 13584,
27%
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 14
had never been married. Under ten percent of the adults were either divorced or widowed.
When compared with national averages, the county has a slightly higher proportion of widows or widowers,
and a slightly higher proportion of divorced persons. The percentage of the adult population reported as
married and living together is slightly lower than the national average but somewhat higher than the New
York State average.
Less than 0.6% of the households in Otsego County were described as involving a householder with a
“same sex partner”, and these were almost evenly divided between male-male and female-female
households
TABLE 1-H
FAMILY AND NON-FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS
OTSEGO COUNTY MUNICIPALITIES 2000
Households
Family Household
Community
Burlington Town
Butternuts Town
Gilbertsville Village
Cherry Valley Town
Cherry Valley Village
Decatur Town
Edmeston Town
Exeter Town
Hartwick Town
Laurens Town
Laurens Village
Maryland Town
Middlefield Town
Milford Town
Milford Village
Morris Town
Morris Village
New Lisbon Town
Oneonta City
Oneonta Town
West End CDP
Otego Town
Otego Village
Otsego Town
Cooperstown Village
Pittsfield Town
Plainfield Town
Richfield Town
Richfield Springs Village
Roseboom Town
Springfield Town
Unadilla Town
Unadilla Village
Westford Town
Worcester Town
OTSEGO COUNTY
New York State
Total #
392
715
164
482
237
158
658
373
850
965
114
773
792
1,207
198
737
261
431
4,253
1,958
804
1,234
386
1,701
906
474
355
968
536
267
521
1,810
470
306
911
23,291
-
Total
76.8%
70.3%
63.4%
72.8%
67.5%
74.1%
73.1%
75.1%
70.8%
71.8%
68.4%
68.8%
71.3%
67.4%
72.7%
71.9%
66.7%
71.9%
45.0%
66.3%
62.5%
70.9%
68.9%
60.5%
52.9%
75.9%
75.2%
66.3%
60.6%
71.9%
72.0%
70.3%
67.0%
70.3%
65.9%
64.9%
65.7%
With
Child'n
36.2%
30.5%
25.0%
31.7%
29.5%
29.1%
34.2%
31.4%
36.6%
32.1%
36.8%
29.9%
32.6%
28.4%
37.4%
33.9%
27.6%
32.9%
22.1%
28.4%
26.2%
33.8%
35.8%
25.5%
23.2%
36.5%
42.0%
26.9%
22.8%
33.3%
32.4%
32.7%
30.2%
30.4%
29.2%
29.6%
31.6%
Married Couple
With
Total Child'n
65.1%
28.8%
58.9%
23.8%
51.8%
18.3%
58.3%
23.9%
51.9%
21.5%
66.5%
24.7%
62.2%
26.4%
62.7%
24.7%
54.7%
26.1%
55.5%
21.2%
44.7%
17.5%
55.1%
22.9%
58.8%
25.1%
52.1%
18.5%
48.0%
18.7%
55.1%
22.9%
49.0%
16.5%
58.7%
25.8%
31.4%
13.6%
52.5%
20.3%
45.9%
17.2%
56.2%
23.0%
55.2%
24.4%
49.1%
18.8%
41.9%
16.6%
63.3%
28.7%
60.8%
32.1%
53.6%
19.1%
47.0%
14.6%
55.1%
23.2%
60.1%
25.5%
54.8%
22.2%
48.7%
18.5%
55.9%
21.2%
52.7%
22.1%
51.1%
21.0%
46.6%
21.6%
Non-Family Household
Female Head
w/o Husband
With
Total Child'n
7.9%
5.1%
7.0%
3.6%
9.1%
5.5%
10.6%
5.8%
12.7%
6.8%
4.4%
2.5%
8.1%
5.6%
9.9%
5.9%
11.1%
7.3%
11.5%
7.8%
17.5% 15.8%
10.1%
4.7%
7.3%
4.3%
10.7%
7.2%
18.2% 14.1%
12.1%
7.7%
13.4%
8.8%
8.8%
4.9%
10.5%
6.6%
9.5%
5.4%
11.6%
5.8%
9.6%
7.2%
10.1%
8.5%
8.3%
5.3%
8.7%
5.7%
7.2%
4.4%
8.5%
5.4%
8.5%
4.5%
9.7%
5.2%
9.4%
5.6%
6.5%
3.5%
9.8%
6.5%
13.2%
8.1%
8.5%
4.6%
9.0%
4.4%
9.5%
5.8%
14.7%
8.1%
Total
23.2%
29.7%
36.6%
27.2%
32.5%
25.9%
26.9%
24.9%
29.2%
28.2%
31.6%
31.2%
28.7%
32.6%
27.3%
28.1%
33.3%
28.1%
55.0%
33.7%
37.6%
29.1%
31.1%
39.5%
47.1%
24.1%
24.8%
33.7%
39.4%
28.1%
28.0%
29.7%
33.0%
29.7%
34.1%
35.1%
34.3%
Households with
Individuals Aged
Living Alone
Over Under
65
18
Total
65+
18.6%
8.2% 40.3% 26.3%
24.1% 10.9% 31.9% 26.7%
31.7% 20.1% 26.8% 37.8%
23.4% 10.2% 34.2% 28.8%
28.3% 12.7% 32.5% 30.0%
19.6% 10.1% 31.6% 33.5%
22.5% 12.2% 36.0% 30.4%
20.4% 11.0% 34.0% 29.0%
24.7% 10.9% 38.9% 27.1%
21.9%
7.6% 34.7% 23.4%
28.9% 10.5% 39.5% 25.4%
24.2% 10.5% 32.3% 28.1%
24.1% 10.9% 34.3% 28.9%
25.4% 11.3% 30.7% 27.4%
20.7%
9.1% 40.9% 26.3%
23.3%
9.2% 36.9% 25.4%
29.1% 12.6% 29.9% 30.7%
23.4%
9.7% 34.1% 26.0%
36.4% 13.5% 23.8% 24.5%
27.1% 11.4% 30.0% 29.4%
31.7% 16.2% 27.7% 36.2%
22.0% 10.3% 35.9% 26.1%
25.4% 12.4% 38.9% 24.9%
33.6% 15.2% 27.1% 32.6%
41.4% 19.2% 24.2% 35.9%
19.2%
9.1% 39.7% 23.4%
20.8%
7.9% 44.2% 22.0%
27.4% 14.9% 29.3% 36.7%
34.0% 19.0% 25.0% 37.1%
21.0%
8.6% 36.7% 23.6%
22.6% 12.7% 35.3% 32.8%
23.6% 10.1% 35.4% 27.3%
28.1% 13.8% 32.3% 30.2%
23.5% 10.1% 34.0% 28.4%
28.3% 14.3% 31.3% 31.0%
27.0% 11.6% 31.7% 27.7%
28.1% 10.1% 35.0% 25.0%
* The Village of Cooperstown is located in the Towns of Middlefield and Otsego in Otsego County.
Source: 2000 Census of Population, Table DP-1. C:\HD10\CENSUS\PROFILES\FAMHOUSE.XLS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 15
1.11 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
The 2000 Census provides basic information concerning the composition of households and families. The
accompanying schematic chart illustrates the hierarchy of relationships used by the Census Bureau to
classify the relationships between people within a household.
Households are divided into family and non-family
households. Non-family households generally consist of one
or more persons, unrelated by birth or marriage, occupying a
single dwelling unit. To confuse the situation even more a
dwelling unit could have multiple households, including any
mixture of family and non-family arrangements.
Family households were further divided between married
couples and female headed households with no husband
present, with distinctions between those with and without
children under 18 years old.
Non-family households are divided into households of single
persons living alone, and single persons 65 years of age and
older living alone.
SCHEMATIC OF HOUSEHOLD
AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
HOUSEHOLDS
FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS
Total
With Children Under 18 Years
MARRIED COUPLE FAMILIES
Total
With Children Under 18 Years
FEMALE HEADED FAMILIES- NO HUSBAND
Total
With Children Under 18 Years
NON-FAMIL HOUSEHOLDS
Total
LIVING ALONE
Total
Over 65
Table 1-H which appears on the previous page provides information concerning the types of households in
Otsego County and its municipalities. As shown on the table, approximately two-thirds or more of all
households in Otsego County’s municipalities were family households. The principal exception to this
pattern is the City of Oneonta where only 45% of the households involved families. This low percentage
presumably reflects the impact of off-campus student housing for the two colleges in the City.
Table 1-H also shows that while the
County had a slightly lower than average
proportion of family households when
compared to the state, it had a somewhat
higher than average proportion of married
couple households. This appears to be
because of the much lower than average
proportion of female headed family
households which have no husband
present.
TABLE 1-I
LIVING ARRANGEMENTS OF OWN CHILDREN UNDER 18
YEARS OF AGE IN FAMILIES AND SUB FAMILIES BY
EMPLOYMENT STATUS OF PARENTS
OTESGO COUNTY - 2000
Labor Force Status
Living w/
both Parents
<6
6-17
Years Years
Living with
Father
<6
6-17
Years Years
Living with
Mother
<6
6-17
Years Years
In Labor Force
Both
1,515
5,126
Father Only
836
1,470
266
525
Mother Only
68
351
No Parent in Labor Force
44
123
92
116
In Labor Force
Both
11.6%
39.3%
Father Only
6.4%
11.3%
2.0%
4.0%
Mother Only
0.5%
2.7%
No Parent in Labor Force
0.3%
0.9%
0.7%
0.9%
Source: 2000 Census, Table P-46 Table compiled by STERPDB
Some additional insight concerning family
527
1,607
structure is provided by Table 1-I which
113
273
shows that according to the 2000 Census
just under 40% of the families with school
age children had both parents working.
4.0%
12.3%
The incidence of both parents working
0.9%
2.1%
was considerably lower where children
under the age of 6 were present. Of some
concern is the fact that 22.3% of families with children under 18 years old were headed by a single parent,
predominantly females. Single parent families with young children were almost three times as likely to be
headed by a female as they were to be headed by a male.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 16
According to the 2000 Census, just over 562
adults in Otsego County were living in
households which also included one or more of
their own grandchildren aged 18 or under. Of
these a little under a half identified themselves
as
the
person
responsible
for
their
grandchildren due to the absence or disability of
the child’s parents. The Census data, which is
illustrated on the accompanying graph, shows
that this is not a temporary situation. Just under
third of these grandparents reporting that they
had been the person responsible for their
grandchildren for at least a year, and more than
one in ten indicating that they have held this
responsibility for at least 5 years.
LENGTH OF GRANDPARENT RESPONSIBILITY
FOR OWN GRANDCHILDREN UNDER 18 YEARS OF AGE
Grandparent not
responsible for
own grandchildren
under 18 years,
305, 55%
Less than 6
months,
28, 5%
6 to 11 months,
57, 10%
5 years or more,
74, 13%
3 or 4 years,
35, 6%
1 or 2 years, 63,
11%
1.12 EDUCATIONAL ENROLLMENT 6
The accompanying bar graph shows the
percentage of population over age 3
years which are enrolled in school by the
level of school, and compares Otsego
County with New York State and the US
as a whole, according to the 2000
Census. In addition the graph shows data
for the County Seat in Cooperstown and
the County’s largest municipality – the
City of Oneonta.
EDUCATIONAL ENROLMENT
2000 OTSEGO COUNTY AND SELECTED PLACES
With State and National Comparisons
Enrolled in graduate or
professional school:
Enrolled in college,
undergraduate years:
Enrolled in grade 9 to
grade 12:
Enrolled in grade 5 to
grade 8:
Enrolled in grade 1 to
grade 4:
City of Oneonta
Village of Cooperstown
Otsego County
New York State
United States
Enrolled in
On the graph, the dark maroon bar in the
kindergarten:
center of each group represents Otsego
Enrolled in nursery
County, while the two shades of blue
school, preschool:
bars represent New York State and the
0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0%
United States as a whole. According to
the 2000 Census, there were just over 5,000 elementary school students residing in Delaware County on
April 1, 2000, representing 45.3% of all persons then enrolled in school. As shown, the proportion of the
total population enrolled in school in Delaware County, which is enrolled in elementary school, is somewhat
higher than the statewide average. The upper pink and red bars show the profile of Cooperstown and
Oneonta.
The most dramatic feature shown on this graph is the fact that 42% of the population of the City of Oneonta,
amounting to 5,889 persons aged 3 years old or older, was enrolled in undergraduate college programs.
Presumably these mostly would be students enrolled at SUNY-Oneonta or Hartwick College. This feature is
illustrated by the long red bar in the next to highest cluster of bars. While this feature is especially dramatic
for the City data, it also has an effect for county level data where the maroon colored bar shows that 11.2%
of the county population over the age of 3 years is enrolled in college at the undergraduate level.
6
People are classified as enrolled in school if they reported attending a “regular” public or private school or college at anytime between February 1,
2000, and the time of the enumeration (typically April 1, 2000). (2000 Census; Demographic Profile:2000, Technical Documentation, page 5-18).
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 17
1.13 Educational
Attainment 7
Table 1-J reports the
educational attainment of
the population of Otsego
County over the age of 25
in 2000, with comparisons
to the state average. As
shown, Otsego County had
a higher proportion of
population with high school
diplomas, or some college,
than the state as a whole.
At the same time, Otsego
County had lower portions
of population with less than
a high school education, or
with a bachelor’s or higher
degree.
The pattern illustrated by
the graph does not include
persons in age groups
which traditionally were
enrolled in school (except
perhaps post graduate
students), and thus could
indicate the need for
additional professional and
technical
educational
opportunities.
TABLE 1-J
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT POPULATION 25 YEARS OLD OR OLDER
AND SCHOOL ENROLLMENT POPULATION AGE 3 YEARS OLD OR
OLDER FOR OTSEGO COUNTY 2000
Population Age 3 +
Percent of
Pop.
0-12 Yrs
HS
Some BA/BS or Enrolled Enrolled in
25+
Community
in School
College
of School Diploma College
Higher
Burlington Town
714
21.2%
41.0%
22.9%
14.8%
272
12.1%
Butternuts Town
1,247
15.0%
40.5%
24.0%
20.4%
455
9.7%
Gilbertsville Village
266
8.1%
32.0%
32.4%
27.4%
95
14.7%
Cherry Valley Town
851
15.8%
38.9%
22.9%
22.5%
361
11.6%
Cherry Valley Village
402
19.1%
35.6%
14.7%
20.7%
175
17.7%
Decatur Town
287
26.5%
37.5%
23.6%
12.5%
78
9.0%
Edmeston Town
1,215
18.2%
40.9%
27.6%
13.3%
467
10.7%
Exeter Town
657
24.8%
40.8%
25.1%
9.2%
248
14.9%
Hartwick Town
1,459
18.3%
37.6%
24.6%
19.4%
599
5.3%
Laurens Town
1,631
14.4%
37.1%
28.8%
19.6%
583
12.7%
Laurens Village
180
12.9%
42.5%
20.2%
14.5%
72
15.3%
Maryland Town
1,320
17.7%
40.8%
25.8%
15.5%
451
14.4%
Middlefield Town
1,607
18.1%
31.0%
21.9%
29.1%
501
14.4%
Milford Town
2,077
17.0%
35.5%
26.8%
20.7%
682
12.9%
Milford Village
339
7.5%
39.1%
31.1%
22.3%
140
10.0%
Morris Town
1,255
16.6%
36.6%
28.5%
18.2%
487
9.9%
Morris Village
419
13.5%
34.9%
32.0%
19.6%
136
11.8%
New Lisbon Town
761
15.3%
43.8%
22.8%
18.1%
297
17.5%
Oneonta City
5,748
14.1%
27.2%
26.0%
32.7%
7,149
79.1%
Oneonta Town
3,347
13.7%
32.8%
24.9%
28.5%
1,272
19.5%
West End CDP
1,310
18.7%
37.3%
23.0%
21.1%
436
14.7%
Otego Town
2,134
19.5%
40.1%
25.0%
15.4%
852
10.3%
Otego Village
682
13.7%
29.2%
30.2%
27.0%
298
15.8%
Otsego Town
2,834
11.0%
18.6%
33.5%
36.8%
983
17.9%
Cooperstown Village
1,512
10.0%
18.3%
30.1%
41.5%
447
28.6%
Pittsfield Town
865
24.9%
41.9%
23.4%
9.8%
337
6.5%
Plainfield Town
628
17.8%
43.3%
25.0%
13.8%
257
4.3%
Richfield Town
1,695
24.5%
35.7%
24.8%
15.0%
536
12.9%
Richfield Springs Village
906
26.1%
33.9%
24.5%
15.6%
253
13.0%
Roseboom Town
466
19.9%
36.7%
29.2%
14.1%
184
19.6%
Springfield Town
924
14.2%
40.8%
23.5%
21.4%
317
10.7%
Unadilla Town
3,027
17.2%
39.7%
29.4%
13.8%
1,157
12.4%
Unadilla Village
740
12.4%
39.3%
29.1%
19.2%
296
18.2%
Westford Town
532
19.4%
41.6%
22.7%
16.2%
192
9.4%
Worcester Town
1,520
24.4%
31.4%
26.2%
17.9%
531
13.6%
OTSEGO COUNTY
38,801
17.1%
34.7%
26.3%
22.0%
19,248
37.5%
New York State
20.9%
27.8%
24.0%
27.4%
24.9%
* The Village of Cooperstown is located in the Towns of Middlefield and Otsego in Otsego County.
Source: 2000 Census Table DP-2 with special compilation by Southern Tier East Regional Planning
Development Board. “Some College” includes persons with Associate degrees and any other certificates
below Bachelor’s. The percent of population enrolled in college is the portion of the total population ages 3
years old and over who are enrolled in school.
Educational Attainment of
Population Age 25 or Older
The proportion of adult
population without at least
a high school diploma (or
GED) in Otsego County
was somewhat below the
statewide average. Over a quarter of the population aged 25 or older in the Town of Decatur and the Village
of Richfield Springs lacked a high school diploma, while the proportion of the population in the Villages of
Gilbertsville and Milford lacking a diploma was less than half the county or state average. At the other end
of the scale, over 41% of the population of the Village of Cooperstown over the age of 25 had at least a
bachelor’s degree which undoubtedly reflected the presence of Bassett Hospital which is a teaching facility
for medical residents. With its two colleges, just under a third of population of the City of Oneonta reported
having college degrees. The lowest proportion of population with college degrees was reported for the
Towns of Pittsfield and Exeter. Overall, the proportion of Otsego County residents with a bachelor’s degree
or higher is 80% of the statewide average.
7
Educational attainment is defined by the Census as the highest degree or level of school completed. (2000 Census; Demographic Profile:2000,
Technical Documentation, page 5-9).
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 18
Table 1-J also reports the percentage of persons in the municipalities who are enrolled in college (full or
part-time). Here the impact of the colleges in Oneonta is seen where 79% of the population over 25 years of
age is reported as being enrolled in college. This is interesting in that for the most part this adult population
is older than the typical student at either Hartwick or SUNY-Oneonta.
1.14 LANGUAGES SPOKEN AT HOME
The accompanying pie chart shows that while English
is by far the dominant language spoken at home in
Otsego County, about 9% of the county’s population
speaks some other language at home.
The largest non-English language reported to the
Census as being spoken at home is the Indo-European
group of languages, other than Spanish. This would
appear to reflect the influence of recent or historic
immigration from Eastern Europe. Only about 4% of the
population in Otsego County speaks Spanish, Asian, or
some other language at home.
LANGUAGE SPOKEN AT HOME
Population 5 Years Old and Older
2000 OTSEGO COUNTY
Spanish,
711, 3%
Other IndoEuropean,
1082, 5%
Asian,
120, 1%
Other,
75, 0%
A small portion of those who speak a language other
than English at home reported a sense of linguistic
isolation. Only 177 households reported serious
English,
21291, 91%
linguistic isolation, and just over two-thirds of these
were persons who spoke an Indo-European language
other than Spanish at home. Of those speaking Spanish at home 37 households reported serious linguistic
isolation.
DISABILITIES BY TYPE OTSEGO COUNTY 2000
Civilian Non-institutional Population 5 Years Old or Older
Employment
disability
Go-outside-home
disability
Self-care disability
Mental disability
Physical disability
1.15 DISABILITIES
According to the 2000 Census a significant
portion of the population of Otsego County
reported disabilities of one degree or
another. Many of those reporting disabilities
had multiple disabilities, and there was a
clear relationship between age and disability
status with roughly half of those reporting
sensory, physical, or self care disabilities
being aged 65 years old or older.
Almost 5,285 persons in Otsego County
reported physical disabilities in 2000, while
0
2,500 5,000 7,500 10,000 12,500 15,000 17,500
approximately 3,160 persons reported
mental disabilities, and roughly 2,300
reported sensory disabilities (blindness, deafness, etc.). Roughly 4,664 persons aged 16 to 64 years were
identified by the 2000 Census as having employment disabilities, while about 17,413 persons aged 5 years
and over reported some type of disability which restricted their ability to go outside of the home. Except for
employment disabilities, the proportion of the population reporting other types of disabilities in Otsego
County was slightly higher than the state or national averages.
Sensory disability
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
OTSEGO COUNTY FACT BOOK - 2008
Southern Tier East Regional Planning Development Board
HD15: ORIGINAL/08ORIGIN/2008OTSEGOFACTBOOK
May 2008 + Page 19