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Demographics of Broome County
Affluence Level in Broome County
A below-average socioeconomic profile. Incomes, home values, and educational attainment trail the U.S., with higher poverty and unemployment.
People of Broome County
Broome County, anchored by the city of Binghamton, is home to 197,738 residents who reflect a region shaped by industrial booms, ethnic enclaves, and a gradual diversification that has accelerated since the 1990s. The population is notably older and more settled than the national average, with a strong sense of place rooted in the Susquehanna River valley. While the county remains predominantly white (80.1%), its identity is increasingly defined by small but growing Hispanic (5.4%), Black (5.1%), East/Southeast Asian (3.0%), and Indian-subcontinent (2.0%) communities, alongside a foreign-born share of just 3.3% — well below the national figure. This is a place where the legacy of 19th-century immigration still echoes in neighborhood names and church steeples, even as newer arrivals reshape the cultural landscape of specific towns and suburbs.
Settlement & growth (pre-1960)
Before European contact, the region was the domain of the Susquehannock and later the Iroquois Confederacy, particularly the Oneida and Onondaga nations, who used the river valleys for trade and agriculture. The area was formally part of the 1788 Phelps and Gorham Purchase, which opened the land to Anglo-American settlement. The first permanent European settlers, primarily of English and Scots-Irish stock, arrived in the 1790s, establishing the hamlets of Chenango Forks and Vestal along the river bottoms. The county was formed in 1806, and Binghamton was incorporated as a village in 1834, quickly becoming the commercial hub.
The transformative wave came with the Erie Canal (1825) and later the Chenango Canal (1837), which connected the region to eastern markets. This triggered a boom in manufacturing, especially in cigars, shoes, and later, the railroad industry. The first major immigrant group was the Irish, who arrived in large numbers during the 1840s and 1850s to dig the canals and build the railroads. They settled in the First Ward of Binghamton, near the rail yards, and in the working-class neighborhoods of Endicott. The 1880s and 1890s brought a second wave: Germans and Poles, who found work in the growing cigar factories and shoe shops. The German community concentrated in the city's West Side, while Polish immigrants formed a tight-knit enclave in the area around St. Stanislaus Church in Binghamton's East Side.
The single most defining industrial event was the arrival of the Endicott-Johnson Corporation (EJ) in the 1890s. Founded by Henry B. Endicott and George F. Johnson, the shoe company grew into the world's largest, employing over 20,000 workers at its peak. EJ's "Square Deal" philosophy — providing company housing, medical care, and parks — attracted a massive influx of Italian immigrants between 1900 and 1920. They settled in the villages of Endicott and Johnson City, where Italian is still spoken in some households and the annual Feast of St. Anthony remains a major event. Smaller numbers of Eastern European Jews, Greeks, and Syrians also arrived during this period, establishing businesses along Binghamton's Court Street. By 1930, the county's population had swelled to over 140,000, with a heavily industrial, unionized, and ethnically diverse working class.
Modern era (post-1965)
The post-1965 era brought profound change, though initially slow. The 1965 Hart-Cellar Act opened immigration from Asia and Latin America, but Broome County's manufacturing decline — EJ shrank dramatically in the 1970s and closed its last plant in 1998 — meant fewer job magnets for new arrivals. The county's population peaked at 221,815 in 1970 and has since declined by about 11%, a trend driven by out-migration of young adults seeking opportunities elsewhere. The white population has fallen from over 95% in 1970 to 80.1% today, while the Hispanic share grew from under 1% to 5.4%, and the Black share from 1.5% to 5.1%.
The most visible new community is the Indian-subcontinent population (2.0%), which grew rapidly after 2000, driven by employment at Binghamton University (BU) and the region's health-care sector. These families have concentrated in the suburbs of Vestal and Chenango Bridge, where good schools and larger homes are available. The East/Southeast Asian population (3.0%) is older and more established, with a significant Chinese and Korean presence tied to BU's engineering and science programs; many live in the university-adjacent neighborhoods of Binghamton's West Side and the town of Union. The Hispanic population, largely Puerto Rican and Dominican, has grown steadily since the 1990s, settling in the city's North Side and in the village of Johnson City, where lower housing costs and social-service networks exist. The Black population, historically small and concentrated in Binghamton's South Side, has seen modest growth from domestic migration, particularly from New York City and Philadelphia.
Domestically, the county has experienced a slow but steady suburbanization. The towns of Vestal and Chenango have grown at the expense of Binghamton city, which lost over 30% of its population between 1970 and 2020. This shift has been driven by white flight from the city's aging housing stock and perceived crime concerns, as well as the expansion of retail and employment centers along the Vestal Parkway and the Route 17 corridor. The county's college-educated share (30.6%) is now slightly above the national average, reflecting BU's role as an anchor institution, but the overall population remains less educated than the state average.
The future
Broome County's demographic trajectory points toward continued slow decline, modest diversification, and an aging population. The county's natural decrease (more deaths than births) has been a factor since the 2000s, and net domestic migration remains negative, with young adults leaving for larger metros. The foreign-born share, while low, is likely to grow slowly as BU and the health-care sector recruit internationally. The Indian-subcontinent community is expected to expand further, particularly in Vestal and Endwell, as tech and medical jobs concentrate there. The Hispanic population will likely grow through both immigration and higher birth rates, spreading from Binghamton's North Side into the first-ring suburbs of Johnson City and Port Dickinson.
The county's cultural identity is evolving from a white, blue-collar, union-town past toward a more diverse, education-anchored present. The old EJ-era ethnic neighborhoods are fading, replaced by a more dispersed pattern where newer groups settle in suburbs rather than dense urban enclaves. The biggest wildcard is Binghamton University's continued expansion: if it grows its student body and faculty, it could reverse the population decline and accelerate diversification. However, the county's lack of a major private-sector employer outside of health care and education limits its ability to attract large numbers of new residents. The next 10-20 years will likely see a smaller, older, but more racially and ethnically varied population, with the suburbs of Vestal and Chenango becoming the de facto centers of community life.
For someone moving in now, Broome County offers a stable, affordable, and increasingly diverse environment, but one that is still adjusting to its post-industrial identity. The low cost of living and strong sense of community appeal to families and retirees, while the growing presence of Indian, East/Southeast Asian, and Hispanic residents is gradually reshaping the region's cultural calendar and cuisine. It is not a place of rapid change, but of steady, quiet evolution — a county where the past is still visible in every brick factory building, even as new faces arrive to write the next chapter.
* Values derived from national, state, county, city and local statistics and may differ in a specific area. Last updated: 2026-06-16T00:36:40.000Z
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