Otsego County Loses 1,094

People, 1.76% Since Census

Otsego County lost 1,094 population since Census 2010, a 1.76 percent drop, according to a new study by the Empire Center.

It ranks 34^th among the state’s 62 counties in population loss.

Jefferson County, where Watertown is located, lost the most, 5,617 or 4.83 percent.  Tompkins County, around Ithaca and Cornell, gained the most: 2,081 or 2.05 percent.

In all, Upstate counties lost 65,638 people, or 1.04 percent.  Downstate gained 43,330 people, or 0.33 percent.  Overall, the state lost 22,308 people, or 0.12 percent.

“The drop in 2014-15 alone exceeded the population decrease in the previous four years, bringing the total population decline since the 2010 census to 31,740 people, or 0.5 percent,” the center reported.