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Chenango County, New York

Chenango County is a county located in the U.S. State of New York. As of 2000, the population is 51,401. Its name is from an Onondaga Indian word meaning "large bull-thistle." Its county seat is Norwich.







Chenango County was formed in 1798 from parts of Tioga and Herkimer Counties, but the county at time was rather larger than the present county.

In 1806, Chenango County was reduced in size by the splitting off of Madison County.



According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,328 km² (899 mi²). 2,316 km² (894 mi²) of it is land and 11 km² (4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.48% water.


As of the census of 2000, there are 51,401 people, 19,926 households, and 13,549 families residing in the county. The population density is 22/km² (58/mi²). There are 23,890 housing units at an average density of 10/km² (27/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 97.65% White, 0.82% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.07% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 19,926 households out of which 32.50% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% are married couples living together, 9.80% have a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% are non-families. 26.10% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.52 and the average family size is 3.01.

In the county the population is spread out with 26.20% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 97.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 94.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $33,679, and the median income for a family is $39,711. Males have a median income of $30,363 versus $22,429 for females. The per capita income for the county is $16,427. 14.40% of the population and 10.70% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.50% are under the age of 18 and 8.70% are 65 or older.

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