Lewis County, NY

County

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2024 Population

26,607

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

41.9

0.238% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

12.3%

0.732% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$68,182

0.215% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$166,100

5.13% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

11,753

0.659% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Lewis County, NY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99.4% of the residents in Lewis County, NY are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Lewis County, NY was $166,100, and the homeownership rate was 80.2%.

Most people in Lewis County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 24.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Lewis County, NY was 2 cars per household.

Lewis County, NY borders Herkimer County, NY, Jefferson County, NY, Oneida County, NY, Oswego County, NY, and St. Lawrence County, NY.

United States New York

Population & Diversity

Lewis County, NY is home to a population of 26.6k people, from which 99.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.36% of Lewis County, NY residents were born outside of the country (363 people).

In 2024, there were 56 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (24.9k people) in Lewis County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 444 Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic) and 398 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.4%

2024 Citizenship

99.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.4% of Lewis County, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Lewis County, NY was 99.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Lewis County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Lewis County, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
24.9k ± 248
Two Races Including Other (Non-Hispanic)
444 ± 222
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
398 ± 98

1.8%

Hispanic Population

480 people

1.8% of the people in Lewis County, NY are hispanic (480 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Lewis County, NY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New York.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
493,200 ± 17,027 people
China
410,969 ± 15,575 people
Jamaica
234,174 ± 11,811 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 493,200 New York residents, followed by China with 410,969 and Jamaica with 234,174.

Foreign-Born Population

1.36%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

363 people

1.21%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

323 people

As of 2024, 1.36% of Lewis County, NY residents (363 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Lewis County, NY was 1.21%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Lewis County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
618 ± 101
Gulf War (2001-)
360 ± 95
Gulf War (1990s)
242 ± 84

Lewis County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.72 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Lewis County, NY.

Economy

The economy of Lewis County, NY employs 11.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Lewis County, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,587 people), Manufacturing (1,514 people), and Educational Services (1,318 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($89,444), Utilities ($82,857), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,574).

Employment

Occupations

11.8k

2024 Value

± 542

−0.659%

1 Year decline

± 6.48%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lewis County, NY declined at a rate of −0.659%, from 11.8k employees to 11.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Lewis County, NY, are Management Occupations (1,239 people), Production Occupations (1,065 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,062 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Lewis County, NY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New York (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

11.8k

2024 Value

± 542

−0.659%

1 Year decline

± 6.48%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Lewis County, NY declined at a rate of −0.659%, from 11.8k employees to 11.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Lewis County, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,587 people), Manufacturing (1,514 people), and Educational Services (1,318 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Lewis County, NY, though some of these residents may live in Lewis County, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$51,104

Median earning men ± $1,707

$38,828

Median earning women ± $2,383

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($106,667), Public Administration ($59,028), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($57,798).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($95,735), Construction ($56,346), and Public Administration ($52,083).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

Y-Axis

2.74%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 9.56M people employed in New York. This represents a 2.74% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 19.7%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New York.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

61
Construction
51
Other Services (except Public Administration)
33
Accommodation and Food Services

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$72k
Manufacturing
$54.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$31.5k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Lewis County, NY was $166,100 in 2024, which is 0.499 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $158,000 to $166,100, a 5.13% increase. The homeownership rate in Lewis County, NY is 80.2%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Lewis County, NY have an average commute time of 24.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Lewis County, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 10.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lewis County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.94%.

Housing

Property

$166,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$5,193

$8,912

Median Property Taxes

±$418

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Lewis County, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Lewis County, NY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

80.2%

Homeownership

2024

61.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.2% of the housing units in Lewis County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 80.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Lewis County, NY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$68,182

Median Household Income

± $3,903

11.1k

Number of Households

± 524

In 2024, the median household income of the 11.1k households in Lewis County, NY declined from $68,182 from the previous year's value of $68,329.

The following chart displays the households in Lewis County, NY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Lewis County, NY is from New York.

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

0.494

2022 Wage GINI in New York

In 2023, the income inequality in New York was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0797% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New York in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New York across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76%)
Carpooled (9.26%)
Worked At Home (7.5%)

In 2024, 76% of workers in Lewis County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.26%) and those who worked at home (7.5%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

24.2 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Lewis County, NY have a shorter commute time (24.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 3.94% of the workforce in Lewis County, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Lewis County, NY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Lewis County, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Lewis County, NY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 10.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Lewis County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.94%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

12.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Lewis County, NY (3.25k out of 26.4k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Lewis County, NY is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 15.3% of the children was living in poverty in Lewis County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 132 in Lewis County, NY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 32 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

94.3% of the population of Lewis County, NY has health coverage, with 37.8% on employee plans, 22.6% on Medicaid, 15.1% on Medicare, 17.1% on non-group plans, and 1.73% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Lewis County, NY see 1,476 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,476 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 5340 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 466 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.6% were men and 49.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,476 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Lewis County, NY

Primary care physicians in Lewis County, NY see an average of 1,476 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,476 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Lewis County, NY in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.7% under 18 years, 17.6% between 18 and 34 years, 38.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 20.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.6% were men and 49.4% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.74%

Uninsured

37.8%

Employer Coverage

22.6%

Medicaid

15.1%

Medicare

17.1%

Non-Group

1.73%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Lewis County, NY grew by 17.8% from 4.88% to 5.74%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Lewis County, NY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 38.3 in Lewis County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lewis County, NY.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 35.9% in Lewis County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Lewis County, NY.