Orleans County, New York Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Orleans County, New York, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Orleans County, New York. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Orleans County, New York. The estimated population of Orleans County, New York is 40,588 people, with a median age of 43.2.

We can look at the total population in Orleans County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
40,588
 -0.09% -2.40%
2020
40,624
 -0.68% -
2019
40,904
 -0.66% -
2018
41,175
 -0.98% -
2017
41,584
 - -

Population of Orleans County, New York by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
85.7%
86.5%
 -0.92%
Black/African American
5.6%
5.9%
 -5.08%
Native
0.3%
0.4%
 -25.00%
Hispanic
5.1%
4.7%
 +8.51%
Asian
0.7%
0.7%
 0.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0.1%
 -100.00%
Two Or More Races
2.4%
1.7%
 +41.18%
Other
0.2%
0.1%
 +100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Orleans County, New York by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 43.2 -0.46% 40.7 -1.69% 46 +0.88%
2020 43.4 +0.93% 41.4 +0.24% 45.6 +2.47%
2019 43 -0.46% 41.3 -0.24% 44.5 -0.22%
2018 43.2 +0.93% 41.4 0% 44.6 +0.9%
2017 42.8 - 41.4 - 44.2 -

The median age of Orleans County, New York gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 2,200 -0.88% 2,252 -9.6% 2,177 2,039
10 to 19 2,461 -1.49% 2,359 -12.2% 2,416 2,081
20 to 29 2,993 -9.38% 2,572 -9.97% 2,720 2,323
30 to 39 2,373 +16.19% 2,417 +3.11% 2,776 2,487
40 to 49 2,696 -20.81% 2,657 -10.4% 2,176 2,387
50 to 59 3,407 -6.02% 3,566 -0.79% 3,206 3,532
60 to 69 2,578 +5.15% 2,463 +6.52% 2,708 2,622
70+ 1,954 +13.72% 2,636 +2.63% 2,234 2,704

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Orleans County, New York is $54,882.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Orleans County.

  • Under 25
    $60,467.00
  • 25 to 44
    $52,830.00
  • 45 to 64
    $73,570.00
  • 65 and over
    $43,667.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Orleans County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Orleans County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Orleans County, New York is currently $73,464.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

2.56% of households in Orleans County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Orleans County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    19.31%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    25.66%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    18.91%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    12.82%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    14.36%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    6.38%
  • $200,000 or more
    2.56%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Orleans County is $29,085.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Orleans County by the total population of Orleans County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Orleans County, New York, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Orleans County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    8.34%
  • Bachelor's degree
    19.92%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    10.15%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    58.27%
  • Less than high school diploma
    3.32%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Orleans County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Orleans County over the age of 16 is 33,760.

Of those people, a total of 54.90% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Orleans County is 51.30%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 1,885 41.90% 28.50%
20 to 24 years 2,165 69.70% 1.80%
25 to 29 years 2,878 69.50% 9.30%
30 to 34 years 2,578 66.00% 3.50%
35 to 44 years 4,649 75.70% 6.60%
45 to 54 years 5,764 73.10% 5.00%
55 to 59 years 3,573 64.30% 5.80%
60 to 64 years 3,015 50.00% 3.70%
65 to 74 years 4,355 19.40% 6.00%
75 years and over 2,898 4.90% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Orleans County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 29,747 56.00% 5.30%
Black or African American 2,112 30.30% 18.90%
American Indian and Alaska Native 94 60.60% 0.00%
Asian 277 78.00% 8.30%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0 0.00% 0.00%
Other 739 57.60% 29.10%
Two or more races 791 67.10% 5.60%
Hispanic or Latino 1,519 65.10% 24.10%
Not Hispanic or Latino 29,098 55.80% 4.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Orleans County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Orleans County is 17,328, with median earnings of $37,126.00.

Women in Orleans County, New York earning approximately 71.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 17,328 $37,126.00
Male 9,127 $43,433.00
Female 8,201 $31,176.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 1,783 $61,649.00
Business and Financial 459 $55,504.00
Computer and Mathematical 211 $79,135.00
Architecture and Engineering 288 $80,357.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 66 $84,773.00
Community and Social Service 293 $44,115.00
Legal 89 $32,679.00
Educational and Library 759 $38,828.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 266 $41,667.00
Healthcare Practitioners 774 $52,222.00
Healthcare Support 620 $19,706.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 200 $35,446.00
Law Enforcement 299 $72,656.00
Food Preparation and Serving 854 $16,354.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 701 $19,104.00
Personal Care and Service 311 $14,911.00
Sales 1,435 $32,666.00
Office and Administrative Support 2,191 $32,612.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 408 $26,692.00
Construction and Extraction 1,004 $43,409.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 1,265 $46,644.00
Production 1,602 $39,832.00
Transportation and Material Moving 706 $29,762.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 851 $60,949.00 932 $63,816.00
Business and Financial 155 $110,438.00 304 $52,016.00
Computer and Mathematical 192 $78,526.00 19 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 220 $95,000.00 68 $31,591.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 34 $87,500.00 32 $53,750.00
Community and Social Service 48 $43,182.00 245 $44,904.00
Legal 27 $54,125.00 62 $29,417.00
Educational and Library 115 $68,875.00 644 $29,688.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 160 $85,909.00 106 $5,441.00
Healthcare Practitioners 88 $69,286.00 686 $51,991.00
Healthcare Support 110 $27,833.00 510 $19,348.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 167 $36,920.00 33 $25,074.00
Law Enforcement 267 $68,661.00 32 $91,250.00
Food Preparation and Serving 258 $17,744.00 596 $15,958.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 456 $24,875.00 245 $16,113.00
Personal Care and Service 34 $37,361.00 277 $13,899.00
Sales 805 $34,394.00 630 $21,406.00
Office and Administrative Support 378 $41,250.00 1,813 $31,954.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 307 $25,847.00 101 $27,463.00
Construction and Extraction 1,001 $43,494.00 3 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 1,161 $48,342.00 104 $21,848.00
Production 1,161 $42,747.00 441 $28,750.00
Transportation and Material Moving 472 $44,135.00 234 $6,667.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 16,203 households in Orleans County, with an average household size of 2.33 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 10,690 families in Orleans County with an average family size of 2.81 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 7,737 939 2,014 5,513
Average Household Size 2.94 3.17 2.74 1.17
Total Families 7,737 939 2,014 0
Average Household Size 2.92 2.63 2.45 0

Poverty

Of the 10,690 families in Orleans County, 11.10% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Orleans County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 18,237 housing units in Orleans County, New York.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 16,203 88.85%
Vacant 2,034 11.15%

20.90% of the total 18,237 housing units in Orleans County are rental units. This is approximately 3,812 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 12,065 are occupied by the owner - or 66.16% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Orleans County is $802.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Orleans County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    326
  • Less than $500
    404
  • $500 to $999
    2,458
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    789
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    70
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    44
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    47

Property Value

The median value of a property in Orleans County is $107,700.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Orleans County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    1,541
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    3,909
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    2,951
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,520
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,494
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    401
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    136
  • $1,000,000 or more
    113

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Orleans County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Orleans County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    8,001
  • 1940 to 1949
    768
  • 1950 to 1959
    1,320
  • 1960 to 1969
    1,376
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,870
  • 1980 to 1989
    2,020
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,622
  • 2000 to 2009
    1,019
  • 2010 to 2013
    241
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Orleans County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    1,297
  • 1 vehicle available
    5,156
  • 2 vehicles available
    6,472
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,278

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Orleans County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Orleans County that commute to work in a particular way.

25.3 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Orleans County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    947
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,237
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    2,172
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    2,144
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,606
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    644
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,580
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    876
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    819
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    1,792
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    966
  • 90 or more minutes
    210

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Orleans County, New York in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Orleans County, New York

We have data for 14 places in Orleans County, New York. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.