City · Otsego County, New York

Oneonta, New York

Oneonta is a city in Otsego County, New York, part of the Oneonta, NY metro area. It has 15,045 residents. Oneonta, New York has a quality-of-life score of 62 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,948 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #586 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on primary care physicians (high), hot days (low) and students per teacher (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), comfortable days (low) and dental care shortage (high).

62High

Quality-of-life score: #5,948 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #586 of 859 in NY
Population: 15,045 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 3,449.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 3654881

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety87#2,063/15,637
Economy24#11,910/15,631
Housing34#9,918/14,977
Health47#8,336/15,609
Healthcare56#6,831/15,650
Environment71#4,421/15,453
Education81#3,001/15,649
Infrastructure67#5,223/15,650
Community31#10,789/15,651
Leisure & amenities79#3,279/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Oneonta, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Otsego County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Primary care physicians · high142 /100k
98/100New York 83 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOtsego County value
Hot days · low1 days
98/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOtsego County value
Students per teacher · low10.4×
97/100New York 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsOtsego County value
Violent crime rate · low65 /100k
95/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOtsego County value
Mammography screening · high56.0%
94/100New York 46.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOtsego County value
Public EV charging ports · high18.0 /10k
94/100New York 10.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyOtsego County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low6.9 /1k
2/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauOtsego County value
Comfortable days · low22.4%
5/100New York 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOtsego County value
Dental care shortage · high18.0
6/100New York 3.7United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationOtsego County value
Suicide rate · high24.9 /100k
9/100New York 8.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataOtsego County value
Effective property tax rate · high1.91%
9/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Access to exercise opportunities · low49.3%
11/100New York 93.1%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteOtsego County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
13,893 (2015-2019) → 15,045 (2020-2024)
+8.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
5.0 /1k (2021) → 0.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−99%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
56.8% (2015-2019) → 46.9% (2020-2024)
−9.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
83.4% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+6.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$45,971 (2015-2019) → $61,111 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
41.8% (2015-2019) → 47.4% (2020-2024)
+5.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Oneonta, New York improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved2

Household income+33%$45,971 → $61,111
Broadband+6.6 points83.4% → 90.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Oneonta, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.4 min2015-2019	15.3 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Within the margin of error	28%
Bachelor's degree or higher	41.8%2015-2019	47.4%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Broadband subscriptions	83.4%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+6.6 points	Improved	41%
Child poverty rate	20.0%2015-2019	15.7%2020-2024	−4.3 points	Within the margin of error	66%
Effective property tax rate	2.07%2015-2019	1.91%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%
High school diploma or higher	92.9%2015-2019	95.0%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	−0.3×	Within the margin of error	90%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4872015-2019	0.4222020-2024	−0.064	Within the margin of error	89%
Median household income	$45,9712015-2019	$61,1112020-2024	+33%	Improved	61%
Poverty rate	22.2%2015-2019	16.6%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Rent as share of income	34.4%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	84%
Rent-burdened households	56.8%2015-2019	46.9%2020-2024	−9.9 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2015-2019	6.4%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	67%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.8%2015-2019	3.9%2020-2024	−0.9 points	Within the margin of error	58%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Oneonta, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Oneonta, New York in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Oneonta, New York itself moved +12.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

15,045 residents (±35)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,319 households (±313)

Oneonta, New York
New York share

Under $25k21%1,100
$25k–50k19%1,030
$50k–75k23%1,239

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,319 households (±313)

Oneonta, New York
New York share

Own46%2,447
Rent54%2,872

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

6,136 workers (±535)

Oneonta, New York
New York share

Drive alone66%4,040
Carpool4.4%†270
Public transit2.1%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Oneonta, NY

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Otsego County, the county holding most of Oneonta's residents.

Otsego County has 1,295 employer establishments, 214 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248; 0.78× New York's), with 18,030 paid employees at an average annual pay of $55,740. The Census Bureau also counts 4,524 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,295; 4,524 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 214; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 18,030
Average annual pay: $55,740; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Otsego County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	109	18	0.98×About typical	1,257	$24,865	23
Ambulatory health care services	76	12.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	969	$56,152	248
Full-service restaurants	60	9.9	1.29×More than typical	660	$24,874	7
Specialty trade contractors	58	9.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	161	$61,988	524
Religious organizations	47	7.8	1.40×More than typical	173	$15,208	—
Lessors of real estate	42	6.9	0.56×Fewer than typical	132	$41,750	458
Gasoline stations	37	6.1	1.88×More than typical	283	$26,770	—
Limited-service restaurants	34	5.6	0.70×Fewer than typical	505	$25,168	13
Services to buildings and dwellings	32	5.3	0.78×Fewer than typical	173	$51,908	238
Traveler accommodation	32	5.3	2.93×More than typical	538	$32,989	45
Automotive repair and maintenance	30	5	0.98×About typical	101	$46,208	64
Construction of buildings	30	5	0.65×Fewer than typical	104	$57,529	203

Rank places for an industry Open Otsego County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 60,581 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $775.5K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Oneonta, New York: $51.54 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $775.5K; −30% vs FY2025
Per resident: $51.54; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 9.9%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management$589.1K76%
Defense Logistics Agency$183.9K24%
U.S. Coast Guard$2,4390.3%

Top recipients

EDUCATION & TRAINING RESOURCES LLC$589.1K76%
ASTROCOM ELECTRONICS INC$186.3K24%
CUSTOM ELECTRONICS, INC.$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

957.1KFY2017
922.2KFY2018
723.4KFY2019
888.4KFY2020
803.2KFY2021
744.6KFY2022
934KFY2023
635.2K

Top industries (NAICS)

Technical and trade schools · 6115$589.1K76%
Audio and video equipment manufacturing · 3343$96.9K12%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$55.3K7.1%
Plastics product manufacturing · 3261$19.1K2.5%
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing · 3364$7,8101.0%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$7,101

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Oneonta, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Oneonta, New York's figures are part of those of Otsego County, NY ($13.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 5.8% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Oneonta is mostly in Otsego County.

See federal money in Otsego County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Oneonta, New York is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Josh RileyD-NY-19 · 100% of residentsWith party 89%Missed 1.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Otsego County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Oneonta, NY83

Other cities and towns in Otsego County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3654881

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends