General Overview

Photo provided by Arcade & Attica Railroad/       Patrick D. Connors

Wyoming County is showing progress in several areas, while lagging behind the region in others. Despite having one of the lowest median household incomes in the region, Wyoming County was one of the few counties in the region where media income kept pace with inflation, growing by 8% from 1990 to 2000. Wyoming has the highest percentage of early prenatal care and one of the lowest rates of low birth-weight babies in the region. Wyoming students can boast a 99% pass rate on the math Regents exam and the highest graduation rate in the region. However, the county has the lowest rate of post-high school education and the lowest level of pre-kindergarten participation in the region. Similar to the rest of the region, Wyoming has seen significant declines in crime rates. However, Wyoming had the greatest increase in the rate of felony drug-related arrests and the highest rates of reported domestic violence.


Demographic Overview

Wyoming County's total population is declining. Wyoming is one of only two counties in the region (along with Genesee) to experience a decline in population: from 42,500 residents in 1990 to fewer than 42,000 in 2007. This slight decrease of more than 1% is counter to the overall growth experienced in the region (2%), state (7%) and nation (21%).

Similar to other counties in the upstate region, Wyoming is experiencing substantial declines in its number of youths and young adults. Between 1990 and 2007, Wyoming had the largest decrease in the region of people under the age of 20 — a decline of 24%, compared to a 6% drop in the overall region and increases of 4% in the state and 16% in the nation. The county also experienced a 17% decline in 20 to 39 year olds, which was less than the region (-21%) but slightly more than the state (-11%).

Minority populations are growing in Wyoming County, although it remains 93% white. The most substantial growth between 2000 and 2007 occurred in the Asian population, which increased by 26% to 242 residents, and the segment considered two or more races by the U.S. Census, which increased by 24% to 265 residents. Blacks make up the largest minority group in the county at 2,500 residents, followed by Hispanics with 1,400.

Wyoming County has experienced a decrease in the share of households of married couples with children and a slight increase in unmarried households with children. From 1990 to 2000, the most recent year for which data were available, the share of households of married couples with children living at home fell from 32% to 26%. During the same time, unmarried households with children grew as a share of the total, from 6% to 8%. These changes in household types are similar to the trends for the region, state and nation.


Children and Youth

Wyoming County has the highest percentage of mothers seeking early prenatal care in the region. In 2006, 84% of mothers sought care within their first trimester of pregnancy, compared with 77% in the region and 74% in the state. Furthermore, Wyoming is the only county in which the racial group with the highest percentage of mothers seeking early prenatal care was not white: 86% of Hispanic mothers sought care, surpassing the 84% of white mothers.

Wyoming County had the lowest rate of low birth-weight babies in the region. Five percent of babies born in 2006 were of low birth weight, compared to 8% in the region and the state.

In 2000, about 12% of children in Wyoming County were living in poverty. This is relatively low compared to 14% for three of the most populous counties (Monroe, Ontario and Wayne), 20% in the state, and 17% in the nation. This proportion increased slightly from 11% in 1990.

Wyoming had the lowest percentage in the region of children living in single-parent households in 2000. About 22% of children lived with one parent, compared to 28% in the three most populous counties in the region (Monroe, Ontario and Wayne), and 32% in the state. This share increased from 16% in 1990.

While the rate of Persons In Need of Supervision increased in the region from 2000 to 2007, Wyoming County's rate declined by over 42%. The rate of PINS intakes per 1,000 youth in Wyoming County declined from 25 cases in 2000 to just 14 in 2007. Similar declines were experienced in four of the six surrounding counties, while Monroe County's rate more than doubled.


Economy

Wyoming County has experienced significant shifts in jobs by sector. The number of jobs in Professional and Business Services, the fastest-growing sector, tripled between 2001 and 2006. Contrary to the regional trend, Educational Services experienced the greatest loss in jobs, declining 21%. Similar to the other counties, the Farming sector also shed around 14% of its jobs.

Wyoming County's total average salary stayed roughly constant at $33,000, adjusted for inflation, from 1999 to 2007. The United States posted growth of about 7% over the period, with an average salary of about $44,300 in 2007. Courtesy of a booming downstate economy, New York state's average salary jumped 12% to nearly $59,000.


Education

Wyoming County has the lowest rate of pre-kindergarten participation in the region. Only 14% of the county's 4-year-olds were enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs in 2007. This rate is much lower than the region (38%) and state (41%). Wyoming's participation rates only increased only 3 percentage points since 1998, when the New York state law providing public support for pre-kindergarten programs went into effect; since then, most of Wyoming's neighboring counties experienced substantial increases.

Similar to students throughout our region, students in Wyoming outperform those across the state on most key state tests and graduate at higher rates. In 2007, the county had the region's highest passing rate for the math Regents exam: 99% of students passed, compared to 95% in the region and 89% in the state. Furthermore, the county has the highest percentage of students graduating on time (83%), well above the region (76%) and the state (70%).

Despite strong academic achievement in the high school years, Wyoming County has the lowest proportion of residents with a post-high school education. In 2000, only 37% of residents 25 years and older had completed at least some college. While this increased from 31% in 1990, it is still well below the region (57%), state (51%), and nation (52%).

Spending per student by school districts in Wyoming has increased 13% since 2000, even after adjusting for inflation. In 2006, Wyoming school districts spent $14,500 per student, comparable to spending in surrounding counties, but less than the state rate of $16,700.


Financial Self-Sufficiency

Wyoming County had the second lowest median household income in the region in 2000, following Orleans. Wyoming County's median household income in 2000 was about $49,700, lower than the region ($55,700), state ($54,000) and nation ($52,300). Adjusted for inflation, the county's median household income actually increased 8% from 1990 to 2000, while the regional median decreased by 4% and the state decreased by 2%.

Wyoming has one of the lowest poverty rates of all the region's counties. In 2000, 8% of Wyoming residents had incomes below the poverty line, compared to 15% for the state and 12% for the nation. Household incomes vary greatly among the county's racial and ethnic groups. The poverty rate was over four times higher among black, American Indian, and "other" residents than among white residents in 2000.

Wyoming has the lowest rate of individuals receiving government support in the region. In 2007, there were only eight public assistance recipients per 1,000 residents, compared to 30 in the region and 28 in the state. This figure has stayed roughly constant since 2001. Wyoming also has the lowest rate of people receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the region (15 per 1,000 residents), much lower than the rates for the region (25) and state (34).


Health

In 2005, 10% of Wyoming County residents did not have health insurance. This is roughly on par with the region (11%), but fewer than the state (13%) and nation (15%).

Every county in the region has seen a steady decline in mortality rates since 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, Wyoming residents had a decline in mortality rates from heart disease (-26%), cancer (-8%), respiratory disease (-2%), and stroke (-55%).


Housing

Contrary to regional and statewide trends, home values in Wyoming County increased from 1990 to 2000. During this time period, Wyoming's median home value, adjusted for inflation, increased 9% while median home values fell 16% in the region and 14% in the state. However, in 2000, the county's median home value of $90,700 was substantially lower that that of the region ($115,600) and state ($177,700).

Wyoming County had one of the highest homeownership rates in 2000. Second only to Wayne County, 77% of all occupied housing units in Wyoming County were owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is higher than the national rate (66%) and 24 percentage points greater than the state (53%). Of about 17,000 housing units in the county, 88% were occupied and 12% were vacant in 2000.

Wyoming County leads the region in the rate of non-residential building permits issued. While all other counties in the region experienced significant declines in non-residential building permits, Wyoming increased from a low .09 permits per 1,000 residents in 2000 to 1.48 in 2007, compared to the regional rate of .22.


Public Safety

Wyoming County has experienced some of the largest drops in crime rates of all the regional counties since 2000. Similar to reduced crime rates experienced statewide, Wyoming has seen a decline in serious crimes (-42%), violent crimes (-51%), property crimes (-41%), and other reported crimes (-21%). However, the county had a substantial increase in felony drug-related arrest rates, from 16 cases per 100,000 residents in 2000 to 94 in 2007 — a 484% increase, which runs counter to the declining trends experienced in the region and state.

In 2007, Wyoming had the lowest rate of juvenile delinquency intakes in the region. Wyoming's juvenile delinquency intakes rate of 6.8 per 1,000 children is lower than the state (9.6) and region (10.6). From 2000 to 2007, Wyoming County had the greatest decline in the rate of intakes (-34%), compared to the decline in the region (-13%). The state rates remained flat.

Wyoming County experienced the greatest increase in the region in reports of domestic violence since 2000 and the highest level of reports in 2007. There were 68 domestic violence reports per 10,000 residents in 2007 compared to 47 in 2000, an increase of 45%. During this time period, the region experienced a 13% decline to a level of 29 reports in 2007.


Note: Data research and analysis conducted by the Center for Governmental Research.

 Banner photo provided by Peter "Skippy" Bushnell