General Overview
 

Orleans County is facing some challenges, though there are bright spots. Orleans' population has decreased slightly and incomes are relatively low. Compared to other counties in the region, higher proportions of Orleans' residents rely on some form of public assistance, and a larger share of its children live in poverty. Crime rates have increased substantially, counter to regional trends, and there is a recent rise in the number of juvenile delinquency intakes. Though Orleans spends the least per pupil in the area, student performance is on par with the region and exceeds the state. Orleans County also experienced a substantial recent increase in prekindergarten participation rates, exceeding the rates of both the region and the state.

Photo provided by Lynne Menz/Orleans County Tourism

Demographic Overview

Orleans ties Wyoming for the greatest decline in population in the region since 2000. Orleans lost roughly 2,100 residents (-5%) to have a population of just over 42,000 residents in 2009, while the state and nation each gained in population. After Wyoming, Orleans has the second smallest population of our area counties.

Like other counties in the region, Orleans County's population is aging. The number of residents over 85 increased by 29% from 2000 to 2008, and the number of residents younger than 20 years of age decreased by 19% over the same interval.  However, more than 80% of Orleans' population is less than 60 years of age, consistent with proportions in the state and nation.

Orleans County experienced small growth in minority populations, other than African American/black residents which declined slightly, although it remains 90% white. The American Indian and Hispanic populations grew slightly since 2000, as did the population of those self-identifying as "two or more races." The rates of increase—12%, 8%, and 28% respectively—are on the low side compared to other counties in the area. The African American or black population declined by 7% during this time, but remains Orleans' largest minority group of 3,100 residents.

Orleans County has seen a decline in the share of households of married couples with children and an increase in nonfamily households. In 2006-08, about 22% of households in the county were composed of married couples with children living at home, down from 25% in 2000. In the same time period, nonfamily households grew as a share of the total, from 29% to 33%. These changes in household type are similar to trends throughout the region, state and nation.

Arts, Culture and Leisure

Tourism and recreation spending in Orleans County are on the rise. While the $22 million spent on tourism in Orleans during 2008 is the smallest amount among regional counties, it is up from $15.5 million (in 2009 dollars) only three years ago. Spending on recreation, adjusted for inflation, increased from $25 per resident in 2005 to $104 per resident in 2008.

Orleans County invests in arts education. Each year since 2001, Orleans has had more arts teachers per public school student than any other county in our region. The 2008 rate of 7.8 full-time arts teachers per 1,000 students was far above the state's rate of 5.1 and also greater than the region's rate of 6.9.

Children and Youth

In 2006-08, 16% of children in Orleans County were living in poverty, lower than the region, state or nation. The proportion of children in poverty has not changed since 2000, while other counties have seen substantial increases in their rates.

More children are living in single parent households in Orleans County. In 2006-08, 35% of children lived with one parent, compared to 31% in 2000. The single-parent rates were highest among American Indian/Alaskan Native (80%), African American or black (61%), and Hispanic (56%) households.

Child abuse and neglect reports spiked in 2006 and 2007, with the number of reports more than doubling since 2000. Reported abuse has decreased somewhat in 2008, falling from 28 reports per 1,000 children in 2007 to 23 reports in 2008.  However, Orleans County continues to have the highest rate in the region, exceeding both the state and nation. Since 2000, Orleans County has also typically had a higher rate of foster care admissions than most of the area counties and the state. 

Teen pregnancy in Orleans County has generally declined and remains lower than the state rate. In 2008, there were 4 pregnancies per 100 15-to-19-year-old females in Orleans County, below the state rate of 6. This translates to 55 total pregnancies among teen females, compared to 81 in 2000, a reduction of more than 30%. All counties in the region have had consistently lower rates than the state throughout this decade.

Similar to declines in the state and region, the rate of Persons in Need of Supervision (PINS) in the county has decreased substantially since 2000. Orleans' rate of PINS petitions declined by 53%, from 6.4 per 1,000 youth in 2000 to 3.0 in 2008. 

Orleans County is the only county in the region to see an increase in the juvenile delinquency rate, increasing 70% since 2000. In 2008, Orleans intake rate of 209 per 10,000 children was the highest of all the regional counties and much higher than the state (104) and regional (127) rates.

Community Engagement

Voter registration in Orleans has declined since its peak of 84% in 2005.  Although there was a slight upswing in registration before the 2008 election, Orleans' voter registration rate has historically been one of the lowest in the region, and fell to 76% in 2009.  Roughly a third of voting-age residents in Orleans turn out for gubernatorial elections and about half vote in presidential elections, representing one of the lowest voter participation rates in the surrounding counties though on par with the state.

Economy

Orleans County has felt the repercussions of the economic crisis of 2007-09, having the highest unemployment rate of all the counties in the region. The unemployment rate in Orleans County hit a decade high of 9.3% in 2009, up from the low of 4.6% in 2000. Orleans' unemployment rate consistently exceeds the rates for the region and the state, and was on par with the rate for the nation.

In 2008, Orleans County's average salary of $33,400, adjusted for inflation, represented an increase of more than 4% since 2000, which was one of the larger increases in the region. During this time, the national average salary grew by about 3% and New York State's by about 7%, while the region's average salary decreased slightly.

Education

Pre-Kindergarten participation remains high in Orleans County. In 2000, Orleans County enrolled just 12% of its 4-year-olds in pre-kindergarten despite a new state law providing public funding for the program. In 2007, this rate soared to 58% and exceeded the rate of participation in all other area counties and in the state. Although this has decreased to 47% for 2008, Orleans remains a regional leader in participation, surpassed only by Genesee County.

Similar to students throughout our region, students in Orleans outperform those across the state on most key state tests and graduate at higher rates. The only test on which Orleans did not exceed the state's performance was the 4th grade Math test. About 82% of Orleans students graduated on-time, compared to 76% in the region and 80% statewide.

Orleans County adults aged 25 and over have less formal education than in the region, state or nation. In 2006-08, 42% of adults in Orleans had attended at least some college, which along with Wyoming County, is the lowest percent in our region. This compares to 59% in the region, and 55% in the state and nation.

Spending per student by school districts in Orleans is lower than in surrounding counties, despite increasing 42% since 2000. In 2008, Orleans school districts spent $15,700 per student (adjusted for inflation), much less than the state ($18,300) and the region ($16,100).

Environment

Orleans and Wayne Counties are leading the region in reduction of emissions that contribute to air pollution. In 2005, both Wayne and Orleans Counties had the lowest total emissions and lowest vehicle emissions (tons per capita) in the surrounding counties. However, pesticide application in Orleans County remains high with more than 9 pounds per resident (1,029 pounds per square mile) sold or applied in 2005.

Orleans County is home to 10 of the 119 hazardous waste (Superfund) sites in our region. While many are in the process of being cleaned up, Orleans does have two sites which are on the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priority List, a list of the most hazardous sites in the nation. As a whole, our region has five such sites.

Financial Self-Sufficiency

Orleans' median household income decreased 4% to the lowest in the region, between 2000 and 2006-08.  After adjusting for inflation, the median household income was about $47,100 — a decline of about $1,800 from 2000. Median incomes vary among racial and ethnic groups in the county. The median income of Asian residents was higher than that of whites in 2006-08, while the median income of Hispanic residents was roughly half that of the other groups.

Orleans has a higher proportion of residents living below the poverty line than most other area counties. In 2006-08, 13% of the county's population lived below the poverty level, tied with Monroe as the region's highest, and a 2-point increase over 2000. Despite the increase, Orleans' is below the statewide rate of 14%, and on par with the nation.

Orleans County has a more financially vulnerable population than many surrounding counties. The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and subsidized childcare are often used as measures of the "working poor" in a community. In 2007, 16% of the Orleans population claimed the EITC, the highest rate among area counties, equal to the state's rate. After Monroe County, Orleans has the highest rate of children in subsidized care, on par with the state's rate since 2006. Orleans consistently has higher rates of residents receiving public assistance, although this may be due to the county's relatively high rate of approval (70% in 2009).

Health

In 2006, nearly 5,000 Orleans County residents (or 14%) were uninsured, below state and national rates. Since 2005, Orleans County has consistently had the highest proportion of residents enrolled in Medicaid in the region, with 17% of residents enrolled in the federal insurance program in 2008. 

Similar to other counties in the region, mortality rates in Orleans County have been steadily decreasing since 2000, only to begin slightly increasing in the most recent years.  Overall mortality declined by 6% since 2000, with mortality rates for cancer (-23%) and stroke (-29%) marking the greatest decreases.

All counties in the region have seen a substantial increase in reported cases of Chlamydia, including Orleans with its rate more than doubling from 2000 to 2008.  Similar to most counties in the region, Orleans has seen an increase in the number of people living with HIV and AIDS since 2000. Orleans' rate for persons living with HIV per 100,000 has increased 42%, while the rate for AIDS has increased by 89%. Orleans has the highest rate of AIDS (68 per 100,000 residents) out of the counties surrounding Monroe.

Orleans County residents have the lowest access to physicians, with the lowest number of doctors per 10,000 residents, of all the regional counties. In 2007, Orleans had 8.3 doctors per 10,000 residents, down from 9.5 in 2002. This is substantially less than both the regional rate (28 per 10,000 residents) and the state rate (33 per 10,000 residents). Orleans has consistently had the highest rate of "preventable hospital admissions" which can be an effect of less access to quality health care.

Housing

In 2006-08, Orleans County had the lowest median home value in the region. Orleans' median home value was $82,100, well below the values for the region ($118,800), state ($310,600) and nation ($191,700). While several counties in the region experienced a decline in home values from 2000 to 2006-08, Orleans' median home value, adjusted for inflation, decreased by the largest magnitude (7%).

In 2006-08, nearly three-quarters of residents in Orleans County owned their own homes, similar to the rates of peer counties, but well above the rates for the state (56%) and nation (67%). Homeownership rates vary by race and ethnicity, with 77% of white residents owning homes, 34% of African Americans, 50% of Hispanics, and 80% of those residents considered "two or more races."

Public Safety

Orleans County's crime rates have increased substantially since 2000, standing out in our region. Between 2000 and 2008, contrary to the reduced crime rates in the rest of the state, Orleans has seen a substantial increase in serious crime (93%), violent crime (31%), property crime (98%), and other reported crimes (17%). Felony drug-related arrest rates having shown a substantial increase in 2007 have declined in 2008. In most cases, Orleans is notably out of sync with the other regional counties, either posting higher rates or greater increases while others are showing reductions in crime.

Transportation

Public transportation is emerging in Orleans County.  In 2009-10, the county averaged 1.6 public transit trips per resident, a total of 68,000 trips.  This is a dramatic increase from the 3,500 trips taken in 2003, the first year Orleans Transit Service joined the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority (RGRTA).

Orleans has one of the highest rates in the region for alcohol-related crashes, second only to Genesee County. From 2000 to 2008, Orleans rate has more than tripled from 3.6 alcohol-related crashes per 10,000 residents to 11.8.

 Banner photo provided by Lynne Menz/Orleans County Tourism