Latest census estimates show population gain for Orleans after some steep losses

Photo by Tom Rivers: The Orleans County Courthouse, the county’s iconic landmark in Albion, is shown on Jan. 10.

The latest population estimates from the Census Bureau show a gain for Orleans County of nearly 300 residents from July 1, 2023 to July 1, 2024.

That gain of 296 residents, from 39,390 to 39,686, represents a 0.75 percent increase, the fourth highest among the 62 counties in the state, according to the Census Bureau.

It helps counter some of the population losses from 2020 to 2023, when Orleans County’s population went 1,233 people from the April 2020 census to the July 1, 2023 estimate. That decline of 3.06 percent was among the steepest losses of 62 counties.

Going back to the  2010 census, when Orleans had 42,883 people, the county is down by 3,197 residents or 7.5 percent.

Lynne Johnson, the Orleans County Legislature chairwoman, is pleased to see the gain of nearly 300 people in the latest census estimate.

“While the growth is modest, many counties, especially across Upstate, actually lost population so any growth is good news,” she said. “It’s important we continue to tout all our county has to offer, from affordable housing to great schools to tremendous recreation and much more. People who move here quickly recognize what a great place this is to live and raise a family.”

The county’s with the largest percentage increases from the 2023 to 2024 population estimates include Franklin at a 1.75 percent increase, Schenectady at 1.17 percent, Orange at 0.82 percent, Orleans at 0.75 percent and Seneca at 0.72 percent.

The five counties with the biggest percentage declines include St. Lawrence at -0.50 percent, Chautauqua at -0.51 percent, Columbia at -0.52 percent, Delaware at -0.73 percent and Schuyler at -1.86 percent.

New York state’s population went up, according to the estimates, from 19,737,367 in 2023 to 19,867,248 in 2024.