Census place 3655574

Oswego

A Census profile of the people, homes, and daily patterns that shape this place.

Official Census name: Oswego city

Relocation snapshot

What stands out in Oswego.

According to the 2025 estimate, Oswego has a population of 17,024 and 2,236 residents per square mile. Of the six relocation measures evaluated, the three largest relative differences from the median among 90 covered New York places are: median home value is $120,600, below the comparison median of $369,150; population density is 2,236/sq mi, below the comparison median of 4,779/sq mi; and median household income is $53,172, below the comparison median of $76,403. These unweighted medians compare covered Census places and are not statewide estimates.

median home value: $120,600
population density: 2,236/sq mi
median household income: $53,172

National context

Follow the metrics.

Compare Oswego's values with other covered Census places. Rankings are descriptive, not recommendations.

At a glance

A city in numbers.

Population: 17,024
Annual change: +0.3%
Density: 2,236/sq mi
Median age: 35.7 years

Living here

The everyday equation.

Households, homes, education, and the time it takes to get around.

Median household income: $53,172
Median home value: $120,600
Median gross rent: $1,109
Bachelor’s degree or higher: 26.1%
Typical commute: 18.5 min
Drive-alone commute: 72.8%
Public transit commute: 2.2%
Walked to work: 5.6%

Housing

Who rents, and what it takes.

Renter share and rent burden help describe the housing choices visible in this place.

Renter-occupied homes: 49.8%
Renters paying 30%+ of income: 60.4%

Work

How the workday lands.

Employment status and working-from-home share add context to income and commuting patterns.

Employed residents 16+: 56.3%
Unemployed residents 16+: 5%
Working from home: 8.6%

Community

The everyday infrastructure.

Access, mobility, housing growth, and household composition add another layer to a place's day-to-day picture.

Households with broadband: 91%
Homes built 2020+: 1.3%
Households without a vehicle: 14.9%
Households with children: 28%
Residents with a disability: 18.2%
Residents without insurance: 4.8%

Environmental context

A record of declared events.

FEMA declarations for Oswego County provide historical context, not a forecast or a property-level risk assessment.

Environmental declarations since 2000: 10
Severe Storm declarations: 3
Hurricane declarations: 2
Snowstorm declarations: 2

Climate normals

The long view of weather.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast. Temperature and precipitation describe the typical conditions recorded from 1991 through 2020.

Representative station: FULTON OSWEGO CO AP (10 mi from place center)

Average high: 56.3°F
Average low: 38.3°F
Annual rainfall: 39.6"
Annual snowfall: 0"

Month by month

A year in Oswego.

Typical high and low °F

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Typical precipitation inches

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Data vintage

Population is from the 2025 Population Estimates Program. Household, housing, education, and commute data are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-year release. Disaster declarations are from FEMA's OpenFEMA dataset and are refreshed with this edition.

Population estimates ACS profile TIGERweb boundary NOAA climate normals FEMA declarations

Similar places

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Ashtabula, OH

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 17,474
Median home: $105,900

Niles, OH

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 18,116
Median home: $116,300

Lockport, NY

Population, housing, work, and travel data for this Census place.

Population: 20,248
Median home: $139,900

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