City · Oswego County, New York

Oswego, New York

Oswego is a city in Oswego County, New York, part of the Syracuse, NY metro area. It has 17,033 residents. Oswego, New York has a quality-of-life score of 41 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #9,194 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within New York it ranks #777 of 859 cities and towns. It ranks best on hot days (low), median Air Quality Index (low) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (low). It ranks worst on effective property tax rate (high), new business applications (low) and comfortable days (low).

41Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #9,194 of 15,651 cities and towns
New York: #777 of 859 in NY
Population: 17,033 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 2,237.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 3655574

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety82#2,877/15,637
Economy13#13,675/15,631
Housing19#12,186/14,977
Health34#10,370/15,609
Healthcare17#13,054/15,650
Environment95#708/15,453
Education49#8,059/15,649
Infrastructure74#4,100/15,650
Community33#10,506/15,651
Leisure & amenities37#9,805/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Oswego, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Oswego 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

Hot days · low2 days
93/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOswego County value
Median Air Quality Index · low34
90/100New York 402025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOswego County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low6.0 µg/m³
89/100New York 7.2 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyOswego County value
Public EV charging ports · high13.8 /10k
89/100New York 10.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyOswego County value
Violent crime rate · low94 /100k
87/100New York 368 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationOswego County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
86/100New York 4.9×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.66%
1/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
New business applications · low7.1 /1k
2/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauOswego County value
Comfortable days · low22.8%
6/100New York 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationOswego County value
Rent-burdened households · high60.4%
9/100New York 52.1%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Mental health care shortage · high18.0
11/100New York 4.8United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationOswego County value
Dental care shortage · high17.0
12/100New York 3.7United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationOswego County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
36.6% (2015-2019) → 23.6% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.7% (2015-2019) → 91.0% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateImproving
26.7% (2015-2019) → 20.6% (2020-2024)
−6.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
55.4% (2015-2019) → 60.4% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$43,258 (2015-2019) → $53,172 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Average commute timeWorsening
16.5 min (2015-2019) → 18.5 min (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

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, Oswego, New York improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved5

Child poverty−13 points36.6% → 23.6%
Poverty−6.1 points26.7% → 20.6%
Inequality−0.0430.492 → 0.450
Broadband+8.3 points82.7% → 91.0%
Household income+23%$43,258 → $53,172

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Oswego, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	16.5 min2015-2019	18.5 min2020-2024	+2.1 min	Within the margin of error	27%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.1%2015-2019	26.1%2020-2024	−2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Broadband subscriptions	82.7%2015-2019	91.0%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Improved	51%
Child poverty rate	36.6%2015-2019	23.6%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	87%
Effective property tax rate	3.15%2015-2019	2.66%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	90%
High school diploma or higher	89.0%2015-2019	91.3%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Home price to income ratio	2.0×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	65%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4922015-2019	0.4502020-2024	−0.043	Improved	81%
Median household income	$43,2582015-2019	$53,1722020-2024	+23%	Improved	39%
Poverty rate	26.7%2015-2019	20.6%2020-2024	−6.1 points	Improved	84%
Rent as share of income	34.0%2015-2019	35.8%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Rent-burdened households	55.4%2015-2019	60.4%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Unemployment rate	10.0%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.9%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%

“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 Oswego, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Oswego, 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, Oswego, New York itself moved −1.2 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

17,033 residents (±25)

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

7,242 households (±298)

Oswego, New York
New York share

Under $25k22%1,569
$25k–50k27%1,925
$50k–75k14%1,031

Homes

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

Owners and renters

7,242 households (±298)

Oswego, New York
New York share

Own50%3,636
Rent50%3,606

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

7,725 workers (±522)

Oswego, New York
New York share

Drive alone73%5,626
Carpool9.7%†753
Public transit2.2%†

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 Syracuse, 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 Oswego County, the county holding most of Oswego's residents.

Oswego County has 2,093 employer establishments, 177 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.65× New York's), with 22,804 paid employees at an average annual pay of $53,856. The Census Bureau also counts 6,292 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,093; 6,292 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 177; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 22,804
Average annual pay: $53,856; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	200	17	1.10×About typical	747	$64,213	561
Restaurants and other eating places	180	15.3	0.83×About typical	2,202	$21,632	29
Ambulatory health care services	131	11.1	0.53×Fewer than typical	1,436	$56,181	212
Construction of buildings	102	8.6	1.14×About typical	257	$52,187	259
Automotive repair and maintenance	81	6.9	1.36×More than typical	297	$44,391	116
Services to buildings and dwellings	78	6.6	0.98×About typical	218	$48,381	345
Full-service restaurants	77	6.5	0.85×About typical	862	$24,085	8
Limited-service restaurants	73	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	1,060	$20,008	16
Lessors of real estate	66	5.6	0.45×Fewer than typical	175	$35,149	480
Religious organizations	64	5.4	0.98×About typical	221	$15,986	—
Building equipment contractors	57	4.8	0.80×About typical	376	$62,928	85
Gasoline stations	52	4.4	1.36×More than typical	530	$30,438	—

Rank places for an industry Open Oswego County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 117,939 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 $1.2M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Oswego, New York: $70.29 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.2M; +33% vs FY2025
Per resident: $70.29; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$1.1M88%
Department of Veterans Affairs$145.3K12%
U.S. Geological Survey$6,4150.5%
Nuclear Regulatory Commission$2690.0%

Top recipients

DEAN MARINE AND EXCAVATING, INC.$1.1M95%
VALOR HEALTHCARE INC$145.2K12%
MNS PRO COMPANIES, INC.$4,8790.4%
SOPHIA RUH$3,2070.3%
SAMANTHA G GONSALVES$3,2070.3%
OSWEGO INDUSTRIES, INC.

Spending by fiscal year

446.4KFY2017
196.1KFY2018
491.1KFY2019
122.2KFY2020
137.9KFY2021
694.6KFY2022
1.6MFY2023
189.3K

Top industries (NAICS)

Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$1M87%
Outpatient care centers · 6214$145.2K12%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$6,4150.5%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$6,0950.5%
Waste collection · 5621$4110.0%
Wired telecommunications carriers · 5171$269

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 Oswego, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Oswego, New York's figures are part of those of Oswego County, NY ($17M in FY2026), never added to them: 7.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Oswego 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.

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

House

Claudia TenneyR-NY-24 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.7%

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.

Oswego County63100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Syracuse, NY85

Other cities and towns in Oswego 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/3655574

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends