The study of demographics tells the story of how our community is changing. In this section, we examine population trends and see how our residents as a group are growing older and more diverse. In all cases, comparisons to the state reflect the state excluding New York City.

In summary, Cayuga and Seneca counties have:

• Overall population growth in Seneca and a small decline in Cayuga
• Growing numbers of residents older than 40
• An increasing number of Hispanic residents, though the counties remain overwhelmingly white

In 2010, the population in Cayuga County was just over 80,000, down 2.4% from the population in 2000. In Seneca, the 2010 population was 35,250, up 5.7% from 2000, though the gain of about 2,000 people came largely from the construction of a state prison. Seneca grew faster than the state, which increased by 2.1% over the decade, but slower than the nation, which grew by 9.7% during that same time.

In Cayuga, the City of Auburn shrank by 3.1% over the decade, and all but two villages had population declines over the decade. In Seneca, the two largest towns, Seneca Falls and Waterloo, declined in population while Romulus, the location of Five Points Correctional Facility, more than doubled in size. All the villages in Seneca County had population declines over the decade.

Like the state and nation, Cayuga and Seneca counties both have aging populations. The population 85 and older grew 36% in Cayuga and 27% in Seneca, similar to increases in the state and nation. The two next oldest groups (ages 40-59 and 60-84) also had strong growth in the double digits, and there were generally losses in the under 20 and 20-39 groups.

From 2000 to 2010, the Hispanic population grew 18% in Cayuga and 44% in Seneca and the African American population in Seneca nearly doubled. Yet Cayuga’s population overall was 93% white and Seneca’s was 92% white. The state and nation generally experienced even larger increases in both minority groups, as well as significant population growth among Asians, which did not occur in Cayuga and Seneca (increases of 9% and 4% respectively).

In addition, the most common household types in Cayuga and Seneca counties were married couples without children and non-family households made up of unrelated people living together – the same as in the state  and the nation. About a third of households belonged to each of these two groups. About a fifth of households had married couples with children and a tenth had single people with children, in the counties, state and nation. About 5-6% of households were made up of single people in the counties, state and nation.