Seneca County Demographics

A map of Seneca County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	28,731	29,273	87.3%	86.6%
Hispanic	1,436	1,367	4.4%	4.0%
Multiracial	1,159	1,409	3.5%	4.2%
Black	1,141	1,263	3.5%	3.7%
Native American/Other	252	234	0.8%	0.7%
Asian	201	268	0.6%	0.8%

Seneca County, New York has an estimated population of 32,920, a slight decrease from the 33,814 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 87.3% White, 4.4% Hispanic, 3.5% Black, 3.5% Multiracial, 0.8% Native American/Other, and 0.6% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Seneca County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Seneca has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than New York overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Seneca County, that probability was 24.6% in 2020 and 23.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Seneca County is ranked the 57th most populous county in New York, out of 62 counties. Seneca County was ranked the 57th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Seneca County's White Population

28,731 residents of Seneca County, or 87.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Seneca County is significantly higher than in New York overall, where 52.8% of the population is White. Seneca County ranks 29th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seneca County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.9%. White residents' share of Seneca County's population has increased from 86.6% to 87.3%.

Seneca County is more White than neighboring Cayuga County (86.9% White), Tompkins County (73.7% White), and Ontario County (86.9% White). Seneca County is less White than neighboring Yates County (93.7% White), and Schuyler County (92.4% White).

Seneca County's Black Population

1,141 residents of Seneca County, or 3.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Seneca County is lower than in New York overall, where 13.4% of the population is Black. Seneca County ranks 30th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seneca County's Black population has declined by an estimated 9.7%. Black residents' share of Seneca County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 3.5%.

Seneca County is more Black than neighboring Yates County (0.8% Black), Cayuga County (3.3% Black), Schuyler County (1.1% Black), and Ontario County (2.1% Black). Seneca County is less Black than neighboring Tompkins County (3.6% Black).

Seneca County's Asian Population

201 residents of Seneca County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Seneca County is lower than in New York overall, where 9% of the population is Asian. Seneca County ranks 42nd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seneca County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 25.0%. Asian residents' share of Seneca County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.6%.

Seneca County is more Asian than neighboring Schuyler County (0.5% Asian). Seneca County is less Asian than neighboring Yates County (0.9% Asian), Cayuga County (0.7% Asian), Tompkins County (10.1% Asian), and Ontario County (1.3% Asian).

Seneca County's Hispanic Population

1,436 residents of Seneca County, or 4.4% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Seneca County is significantly lower than in New York overall, where 19.8% of the population is Hispanic. Seneca County ranks 36th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seneca County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 5.0%. Hispanic residents' share of Seneca County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.4%.

Seneca County is more Hispanic than neighboring Yates County (2.6% Hispanic), Cayuga County (3.6% Hispanic), and Schuyler County (2.1% Hispanic). Seneca County is less Hispanic than neighboring Tompkins County (6.6% Hispanic), and Ontario County (5.7% Hispanic).

Seneca County's Native American/Other Population

252 residents of Seneca County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Seneca County is comparable to the share in New York overall, where 1.2% of the population is Native American/Other. Seneca County ranks 31st statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seneca County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 7.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Seneca County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Seneca County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Yates County (0.2% Native American/Other), Cayuga County (0.6% Native American/Other), Schuyler County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Ontario County (0.4% Native American/Other). Seneca County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Tompkins County (1.3% Native American/Other).

Seneca County's Multiracial Population

1,159 residents of Seneca County, or 3.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Seneca County is comparable to the share in New York overall, where 3.8% of the population is Multiracial. Seneca County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 62 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Seneca County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 17.7%. Multiracial residents' share of Seneca County's population has decreased from 4.2% to 3.5%.

Seneca County is more Multiracial than neighboring Yates County (1.9% Multiracial). Seneca County is less Multiracial than neighboring Cayuga County (4.9% Multiracial), and Tompkins County (4.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.