Oneonta is a place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Oneonta to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town.
Oneonta, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 15.65 minutes getting to work every day.
The education level of Oneonta ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Oneonta, 48.79% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree.
The per capita income in Oneonta in 2022 was $27,061, which is low income relative to New York, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $108,244 for a family of four. However, Oneonta contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Oneonta is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Oneonta home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Oneonta residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Oneonta include Irish, Italian, German, English, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in Oneonta is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
