Every town, village in Orleans except Yates shows population loss

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 13 August 2021 at 2:57 pm

Town of Albion has biggest drop at 9.8% among 10 towns

The new data from the U.S. Census Bureau on the 2020 count shows that every town and village in Orleans County experienced population loss from 2010, except for the Town of Yates.

Countywide the population is down 5.9 percent, or by 2,540 people from 42,883 in 2010 to 40,343 in 2020. That percent decline is the steepest of all counties in Western New York.

The data from the Census Bureau shows a population drop in nearly every Orleans County municipality with Albion experiencing the biggest loss at 9.8 percent. Yates avoided a loss in residents, but just barely. The town grew by 8 people or by 0.3 percent.

TOWNS – The population changes for 10 towns includes:

Albion – 7,639 in 2020, down 829 or 9.8% from the 8,468 in 2010
Barre – 1,843 in 2020, down 182 or 9.0% from 2,025 in 2010
Carlton – 2,835 in 2020, down 159 or 5.3% from 2,994 in 2010
Clarendon – 3,315 in 2020, down 333 or 9.1% from 3,648 in 2010
Gaines – 3,226 in 2020, down from 152 or 4.5% 3,378 in 2010
Kendall – 2,617 in 2020, down 107 or 3.9% from 2,724 in 2010
Murray – 4,796 in 2020, down 192 or 3.8% from 4,988 in 2010
Ridgeway – 6,598 in 2020, down 182 or 2.7% from 6,780 in 2010
Shelby – 4,907 in 2020, down 412 or 7.7% from 5,319 in 2010
Yates – 2,567 in 2020, up by 8 or 0.3% from 2,559 in 2010
Orleans County – 40,343, down 2,540 or 5.9% from the 42,883 in 2010

VILLAGES – The four villages all are down in population but the percent decline was the lowest in Medina. In 2010, Albion with 6,056 people and Medina with 6,065 were nearly identical in population. Now Medina has nearly 400 more residents – 6,047 compared to 5,637.

Here are the changes in population from in the four Orleans County villages:

Albion – 5,637 in 2020, down 419 or 6.9% from 6,056 in 2010
Holley – 1,754 in 2020, down 57 or 3.2% from 1,811 in 2010
Lyndonville – 771 in 2020, down 67 or 8.0% from 838 in 2010
Medina – 6,047 in 2020, down 18 or 0.3% from 6,065 in 2010

The percentage of population loss was nearly double in central Orleans County (7.8 percent) compared to the western end with 4.0 percent decline, with eastern Orleans down by 5.6 percent.

Central Orleans (Albion, Barre, Carlton and Gaines) – down 7.8 percent from 16,865 to 15,543 or by 1,322
Eastern Orleans (Clarendon, Kendall and Murray) – down 5.6 percent from 11,360 to 10,728 or by 632
Western Orleans (Shelby, Ridgeway and Yates) – down 4.0 percent from 14,658 to 14,072 or by 586