Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety84#145/924
Economy55#415/925
Housing38#578/925
Health78#205/925
Healthcare70#278/923
Environment86#131/917
Education65#323/925
Infrastructure73#251/925
Community78#207/925
Leisure & amenities78#201/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Cortland, NY micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Job growth · high3.7%
98/100New York -0.3%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Hot days · low1 days
97/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · low61 /100k
96/100New York 64 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high58.0%
96/100New York 46.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · low8.0 /100k
92/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public EV charging ports · high15.3 /10k
92/100New York 10.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.20%
0/100New York 1.30%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Comfortable days · low21.4%
1/100New York 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
New business applications · low6.4 /1k
1/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · high38.4%
11/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Preventable hospital stays · high3,773 /100k
13/100New York 2,733 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Dentists · low37 /100k
15/100New York 84 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

New homes permittedImproving
0.9 /1k (2021) → 2.3 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+148%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
73.8% (2015-2019) → 88.3% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Drug overdose deathsImproving
36.6 /100k (2021) → 13.9 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−62%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Child care cost burdenWorsening
28.6% (2020 & 2021) → 38.4% (2023 & 2024)
+9.7 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Traffic deathsWorsening
7.5 /100k (2015-2019) → 10.8 /100k (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
New business applicationsImproving
4.5 /1k (2020) → 6.4 /1k (2025)
+40%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k

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, Cortland, NY micropolitan area improved on 11 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 6. 7 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved11

Property tax−0.5 points2.66% → 2.20%
Broadband+15 points73.8% → 88.3%
Poverty−3.6 points16.4% → 12.8%
Child poverty−7.2 points18.2% → 11.0%
Violent crime−38%216 /100k → 134 /100k

Declined6

Traffic deaths+44%7.5 /100k → 10.8 /100k
Uninsured+1.7 points3.7% → 5.4%
Gyms−32%1.3 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Restaurants−10%10.9 /10k → 9.8 /10k
Firearm deaths+23%6.5 /100k → 8.0 /100k

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Cortland, NY micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	6.2 /10k2020	6.3 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	34%
Average commute time	21.2 min2015-2019	22.3 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Within the margin of error	29%
Average weekly wage	$8782020	$1,1062025	+26%	Improved	73%
Bachelor's degree or higher	28.0%2015-2019	29.1%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Broadband subscriptions	73.8%2015-2019	88.3%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	18.2%2015-2019	11.0%2020-2024	−7.2 points	Improved	89%
Distance to an airport	36 mi2020	36 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	25.7 /100k2020	13.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−46%	Improved	76%
Effective property tax rate	2.66%2015-2019	2.20%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	98%
Firearm deaths	6.5 /100k2020	8.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+23%	Declined	22%
Grocery stores	1.9 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	59%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−32%	Declined	11%
High school diploma or higher	90.7%2015-2019	91.9%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	90%
Income adjusted for local prices	$44,8062019	$57,2822024	+28%	Improved	21%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4432015-2019	0.4182020-2024	−0.025	Within the margin of error	93%
Median household income	$56,0232015-2019	$70,4182020-2024	+26%	Improved	43%
New business applications	4.5 /1k2020	6.4 /1k2025	+40%	Improved	41%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	2.0 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	78%
Poverty rate	16.4%2015-2019	12.8%2020-2024	−3.6 points	Improved	91%
Public libraries	1.1 /10k2019	1.1 /10k2024	+2.9%	Little change	80%
Rent as share of income	28.5%2015-2019	30.3%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Rent-burdened households	46.1%2015-2019	50.4%2020-2024	+4.3 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Restaurants and bars	10.9 /10k2020	9.8 /10k2025	−10%	Declined	12%
Suicide rate	11.1 /100k2020	13.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+23%	Declined	21%
Traffic deaths	7.5 /100k2015-2019	10.8 /100k2020-2024	+44%	Declined	9%
Unemployment rate	7.5%2020	4.3%2025	−3.2 points	Improved	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	3.7%2015-2019	5.4%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Declined	11%
Violent crime rate	216 /100k2020	134 /100k2025	−38%	Improved	85%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Cortland, NY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Cortland, NY micropolitan area 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, Cortland, NY micropolitan area itself moved −0.6 points in standing on average over the same 29 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

46,246 residents

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

18,999 households (±384)

Cortland, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k17%3,230
$25k–50k17%3,244
$50k–75k20%3,774

Homes

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

Owners and renters

18,999 households (±384)

Cortland, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Own66%12,597
Rent34%6,402

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

22,525 workers (±515)

Cortland, NY micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone72%16,285
Carpool12%2,649
Public transit0.9%†208

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 no occupation wages for Cortland, NY micropolitan area.

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.

Cortland, NY has 981 employer establishments, 213 for every 10,000 residents (0.86× the US rate of 248), with 14,353 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,110. The Census Bureau also counts 2,714 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 981; 2,714 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 213; US 248
Paid employees: 14,353
Average annual pay: $43,110; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	95	20.7	1.12×About typical	1,416	$20,975	17
Ambulatory health care services	61	13.3	0.64×Fewer than typical	611	$77,211	120
Specialty trade contractors	58	12.6	0.81×About typical	182	$58,676	247
Full-service restaurants	36	7.8	1.02×About typical	561	$19,251	10
Construction of buildings	35	7.6	1.01×About typical	162	$53,784	92
Limited-service restaurants	35	7.6	0.95×About typical	605	$21,674	6
Automotive repair and maintenance	33	7.2	1.42×More than typical	171	$51,222	36
Lessors of real estate	32	7	0.56×Fewer than typical	109	$36,982	297
Services to buildings and dwellings	24	5.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	93	$35,473	125
Religious organizations	23	5	0.90×About typical	91	$18,044	—
Snack and non-alcoholic beverage bars	23	5	1.98×More than typical	245	$23,045	—
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	19	4.1	1.55×More than typical	372	$14,430	23

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 46,004 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $193.6K on contracts performed in Cortland, NY micropolitan area: $4.22 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $193.6K; −25% vs FY2025
Per resident: $4.22; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 34%; 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

Top recipients

REAGENT WORLD, INC.$96.8K50%
E.L. WOOD BRAIDING CO., INC.$68.7K35%
SEVEN VALLEY SPECIALTY CABLES LLC$29.8K15%
INNOVASEA MARINE SYSTEMS CANADA INC$20.2K10%
JASON M HAAG-$7,5270.0%

Spending by fiscal year

3.3MFY2017
1.1MFY2018
831.6KFY2019
1.1MFY2020
741.6KFY2021
587.5KFY2022
299.8KFY2023
208K

Top industries (NAICS)

Building equipment contractors · 2382$96.8K50%
Other textile product mills · 3149$68.7K35%
Spring and wire product manufacturing · 3326$29.8K15%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$20.2K10%

Largest awards

COMPLIANCE TESTING FOR COMPRESSION-IGNITION ENGINES, SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES AND VEHICLES, PORTABLE FUEL CONTAINERS, AND FUEL SYSTEMS COMPONENTS$892.2K
INTERTEK TESTING SERVICES NA, INC.· Cortland County, NY· Professional services· Aug 17, 2021 – Jun 29, 2026· 68HERC21F0336
TUNISON MAIN SWITCH PROJECT$96.8K
REAGENT WORLD, INC.· Cortland County, NY· Equipment maintenance· Sep 24, 2026 – Sep 24, 2026· 140G0226P0284
STUDENT SERVICE CONTRACT - JASON HAAG$75K
JASON M HAAG· Cortland County, NY· Professional services· Feb 12, 2024 – Feb 13, 2026· 140G0224P0057
8512090498!CORD,FIBROUS

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $265.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Cortland, NY micropolitan area: $5,786 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $265.3M; −6.4% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,786; US $12,955
Loan face value: $1.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.2%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$182.7M69%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$23.5M8.9%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$14.8M5.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$13.2M5.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8.6M3.2%
93.600 · Head Start$3.7M1.4%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$2.4M0.9%
93.224 · Health Center Program$2.3M0.9%

Top recipients (organizations)

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION NEW YORK$5.3M2.0%
ALBANY, NY
CORTLAND HOUSING AUTHORITY$3.9M1.5%
CORTLAND, NY
CORTLAND COUNTY COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM, INC.$3.7M1.4%
CORTLAND, NY
FAMILY HEALTH NETWORK$2.3M0.9%
HOMER, NY
SUNY COLLEGE AT CORTLAND$2.1M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$228M86%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$17.1M6.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$5.3M2.0%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$3.9M1.5%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Administration for Children and Families

Assistance by fiscal year

259.7MFY2021
239.1MFY2022
251.2MFY2023
261.6MFY2024
283.5MFY2025
265.3MFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Cortland, NY

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Cortland CountyCentral county7645,850

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

CortlandPrincipal city17,450

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in New York

Areas based in New York, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M18660

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved11

Declined6

Metro and micro areas like Cortland, NY micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Cortland, NY

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in New York

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved11

Declined6

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought