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Elmira Demographics
General City Information
Geographic Location and Size
Elmira is the County Seat of Chemung County and is situated on the New York-Pennsylvania State border in the area known as the Southern Tier of New York State. Centrally located in New York State, it is approximately equidistant from Boston, Montreal, Washington, DC, and Cleveland.
 It is less than 200 miles from New York City. The City encompasses 7.4 square miles of land area. The first permanent settlements in the area were erected after the Revolutionary War, between 1778 and 1800. The famous Battle of Newtown which opened upstate New York to the colonies was fought here on August 29, 1779.
The Elmira-Chemung County metropolitan area is a gateway to the Finger Lakes region and is the focal point of industry, business and recreation in the "Twin Tiers" area, which comprises the New York Counties of Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler and Tioga and the Pennsylvania Counties of Bradford and Tioga.
The City lies near the heart of the "Technology Triangle," which is bounded by Binghamton, 55 miles to the east, Corning, 18 miles to the west and Ithaca, 36 miles to the north. In addition to being a part of the "Technology Triangle," Elmira also falls within the "Ceramic Corridor," which begins in the City and flows west through Corning to Alfred.
Population Figures
| Year |
Population |
Change |
% Change |
| 1960 |
46,517 |
X |
X |
| 1970 |
39,945 |
-6,572 |
-14.10 |
| 1980 |
35,327 |
-4,617 |
-11.60 |
| 1990 |
33,724 |
-1,603 |
-4.54 |
| 2000 |
30,940 |
-2,784 |
-8.26 |
Racial Composition
| Race |
City of Elmira |
Chemung County |
| Total Population |
30,940 |
91,070 |
| White |
25,379 |
82,840 |
| Black or African American |
4,039 |
5,303 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native |
120 |
210 |
| Asian |
151 |
709 |
| Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander |
9 |
16 |
| Some other race |
425 |
681 |
Income Statistics
| City of Elmira Income in 2000 |
City |
County |
| Median Household Income |
$27,292 |
$36,415 |
| Median Family Income |
$33,592 |
$43,994 |
| Male, full time, year round workers |
$31,775 |
$35,076 |
| Female, full time, year round workers |
$22,350 |
$24,215 |
| Per Capita Income |
$14,495 |
18,264 |
Employment Status
| Employment Status |
City |
% |
County |
% |
| Population 16 years and over |
24,142 |
100.0 |
71,569 |
100.0 |
| In the labor force |
13,269 |
55.0 |
42,550 |
59.5 |
| Civilian labor force |
13,263 |
54.9 |
42,544 |
59.4 |
| Employed |
11,583 |
48.0 |
39,220 |
54.8 |
| Unemployed |
1,680 |
7.0 |
3,324 |
4.6 |
| Armed Forces |
6 |
0.0 |
6 |
0.0 |
| Not in labor force |
10,873 |
45.0 |
29,019 |
40.5 |
»Business and Industry in Elmira
Occupation
| Occupation |
City |
% |
County |
% |
| Employed Civilian Population 16 years and over |
11,583 |
100.0 |
39,220 |
100.0 |
| Management, professional |
3,161 |
27.3 |
12,564 |
32.0 |
| Service occupations |
2,810 |
24.3 |
7,518 |
19.2 |
| Sales and office occupations |
3,038 |
26.2 |
9,899 |
25.2 |
| Farming, fishing, and forestry |
26 |
0.2 |
110 |
0.3 |
| Construction, extraction, and maintenance |
677 |
5.8 |
2,908 |
7.4 |
| Production, transportation, material moving |
1,871 |
16.2 |
6,221 |
15.9 |
»Business and Industry in Elmira
Industry
| Industry |
City |
% |
County |
% |
| Employed Civilian Population 16 years and over |
11,583 |
100.0 |
39,220 |
100.0 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, mining |
37 |
0.3 |
252 |
0.6 |
| Construction |
520 |
4.5 |
1,926 |
4.9 |
| Manufacturing |
1,738 |
15.0 |
7,490 |
19.1 |
| Wholesale Trade |
289 |
2.5 |
1,275 |
3.3 |
| Retail Trade |
1,588 |
13.7 |
4,861 |
12.4 |
| Transportation and warehousing, and utilities |
456 |
3.9 |
1,654 |
4.2 |
| Information |
340 |
2.9 |
846 |
2.2 |
| Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing |
401 |
3.5 |
1,526 |
3.9 |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative, and waste management services |
568 |
4.9 |
1,986 |
5.1 |
| Educational, health and social services |
3,236 |
27.9 |
10,251 |
26.1 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services |
1,135 |
9.8 |
2,719 |
6.9 |
| Other services (except public administration) |
511 |
4.4 |
1,821 |
4.6 |
| Public administration |
764 |
6.6 |
2,613 |
6.7 |
»Business and Industry in Elmira
Housing Statistics
| Occupancy Status |
City |
% |
County |
% |
| Total housing units |
12,895 |
100.0 |
37,745 |
100.0 |
| Occupied housing units |
11,475 |
89.0 |
35,049 |
92.9 |
| Vacant housing Units |
1,420 |
11.0 |
2,696 |
7.1 |
| Occupied housing units |
11,475 |
100.0 |
35,049 |
100.0 |
| Owner-occupied housing units |
5,546 |
48.3 |
24,149 |
68.9 |
| Renter-occupied housing units |
5,929 |
51.7 |
10,900 |
31.1 |
| Vacant housing units |
1,420 |
100.0 |
2,696 |
100.0 |
| For rent |
722 |
50.8 |
1,099 |
40.8 |
| For sale only |
183 |
12.9 |
453 |
16.8 |
| Rented or sold, not occupied |
122 |
8.6 |
283 |
10.5 |
| Seasonal/recreational/occasional use |
40 |
2.8 |
253 |
9.4 |
| For migratory workers |
1 |
0.1 |
1 |
0.0 |
| Other vacant |
352 |
24.8 |
607 |
22.5 |
»Housing Opportunities in Elmira
Education
| City of Elmira School Enrollment |
1990 |
2000 |
| Persons 3 years and over enrolled in school |
8,700 |
8,146 |
| Primary School |
810 |
949 |
| Elementary and High School |
7,952 |
5,164 |
| College |
2,204 |
2,033 |
»Education in Elmira
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