Orleans shows among largest population declines in NYS since 2020

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 16 March 2024 at 8:44 am

Orleans County’s population is down 1,233 people since the April 2020 census, a decline of 3.06 percent which is among the steepest losses of 62 counties in the state.

The U.S. Census Bureau this week released its population estimates for July 2023 and Orleans County is at 39,124. That compares to 40,343 in 2020. (The loss is 1,219 people, but a Census Bureau chart shows 1,233 loss in the three-plus years.)

Since the 2010 census, when Orleans had 42,883 people, the county is down by 3,759 resident, a drop of 8.77 percent.

The rate of decline is slowing down. Orleans lost 828 people from the census in April 2020 to the estimate in July 2021, then fell another 352 people to July 2022, and then 39 more to July 2023.

The percentage of loss in Orleans from 2020 to 2023 at 3.06 percent ranks 56th out of the 62 counties in the state for growth.

Four of the five boroughs in NYC topped Orleans for percentage of population loss with New York County (Manhattan) at 59th (-5.71%), Queens County (Queens) at 60th (-6.37%), Kings County (Brooklyn) at 61st (-6.39%) and Bronx County (Bronx) at 62nd (-7.89%).

Outside of New York City, only Chemung with a loss of 3.35 percent (57th ranked county for growth) and Seneca at a 4.34 percent loss (58th) rated lower than Orleans.

Only 15 out of the 62 counties gained population since the 2020 census. Otsego County had the largest percent gain at 2.73 percent, increasing by 1,598 people in the three years to 60,126 in the 2023 estimate.

In Orleans the natural increase, number of deaths versus births, was 301 more deaths than birth from 2020 to 2023, a negative 0.75 percent per 1,000 people, which ranked 38th out of the 62 counties.

Rockland County was ranked first in natural increase at a positive 3.34 percent with 11,317 more births than deaths in the three years. Hamilton County was ranked last in “natural increase” at a negative 3.23 percent.

Here is a snapshot of the population changes among the four rural GLOW counties, and New York State as a whole:

Genesee County (down 859 people or 1.47% since 2020)

2023 estimate as of July 1: 57,529
2022 estimate as of July 1: 57,398
2021 estimate as of July 1: 57,889
2020 estimate as of July 1: 58,302
2020 census as of April 1: 58,388
2010 census as of April 1: 60,079

Livingston County (down 676 people or 1.09% since 2020)

2023 estimate as of July 1: 61,158
2022 estimate as of July 1: 61,340
2021 estimate as of July 1: 61,691
2020 estimate as of July 1: 61,590
2020 census as of April 1: 61,834
2010 census as of April 1: 65,393

Orleans County (down 1,219 people or 3.02% since 2020)

2023 estimate as of July 1: 39,124
2022 estimate as of July 1: 39,163
2021 estimate as of July 1: 39,515
2020 estimate as of July 1: 40,135
2020 census as of April 1: 40,343
2010 census as of April 1: 42,883

Wyoming County (down 999 people or 2.46% since 2020)

2023 estimate as of July 1: 39,532
2022 estimate as of July 1: 39,601
2021 estimate as of July 1: 39,927
2020 estimate as of July 1: 40,259
2020 census as of April 1: 40,531
2010 census as of April 1: 42,155

New York State (down 630,033 people or 3.12% since 2020)

2023 estimate as of July 1: 19,571,216
2022 estimate as of July 1: 19,673,200
2021 estimate as of July 1: 19,854,526
2020 estimate as of July 1: 20,104,710
2020 census as of April 1: 20,201,249
2010 census as of April 1: 19,378,102