Oneida County, New York

Oneida County is a county in New York, United States, about 45 miles east of Syracuse in the
Mohawk Valley. It had a population of 232,125 at the 2020 census, an estimated 226,392 residents
in 2025, and covers 1,258 square miles (3,258 km2) centred near 43°14′N 75°26′W.

Utica is the county seat; its postal code is 13501. The county holds 3 cities, 26 towns and 16
villages, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 36065.

Towns & Villages in Oneida County

Oneida County has 19 incorporated places on record: 3 cities and 16 villages, each with its own
local government. The table below also gives each place’s home town (townships) — New
York towns are the county’s primary civil divisions, and most villages sit inside one. A
population marked — means no 2020 census figure was published separately for that place.

New York Mills straddles two towns, Whitestown and New Hartford, and New Hartford village sits
inside the town of the same name — the two are separate governments with separate boundaries.
Oneida Castle and the town-only community also called Vernon both sit inside the town of Vernon;
they are distinct settlements, not duplicate listings.

Townships

Beyond the three cities, the county’s 26 towns are New York’s standard civil divisions —
each runs its own elected board and covers the rural and unincorporated land outside the villages
and cities.

ZIP Codes

• 13501 — Utica (also serves 13502–13505, 13599)
• 13440 — Rome
• 13461 — Sherrill
• 13492 — Whitesboro
• 13495 — Yorkville
• 13417 — New York Mills
• 13309 — Boonville
• 13413 — New Hartford
• 13316 — Camden
• 13323 — Clinton
• 13480 — Waterville
• 13424 — Oriskany
• 13476 — Vernon
• 13421 — Oneida Castle
• 13438 — Remsen
• 13354 — Holland Patent
• 13157 — Sylvan Beach
• 13322 — Clayville
• 13425 — Oriskany Falls

Smaller hamlets such as Blossvale, Cassville, Deansboro, Jewell, Lee Center, McConnellsville,
Point Rock, Sauquoit, Taberg, Vernon Center and Verona Mills have no ZIP code of their own; mail
there is delivered under the nearest post-office town’s code.

Geography

Oneida County sits in New York’s Mohawk Valley, on the boundary between the Appalachian
Plateau to the south and the Tug Hill Plateau and Adirondack foothills to the north. Of its 1,258
square miles, 1,212 are land and 45 are water, about 3.6 percent. The Mohawk River runs through the
county’s southern half past Utica and Rome, Fish Creek and the Black River Canal cross the
northern towns, and Oneida Lake’s eastern shore, at Sylvan Beach, forms the county’s
northeastern tip.

Lewis County lies to the north, Oswego County to the west, Madison County to the southwest,
Otsego County to the south and Herkimer County to the east. Lewis County, Oswego County, Madison County, Otsego County and Herkimer County all border Oneida directly.

Demographics

Oneida County had a population of 232,125 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate, from
2025, puts the county near 226,392 residents — a slow decline typical of upstate New York.
Utica and Rome are the two largest communities, together holding well over a third of the
county’s total population. New York’s statewide median household income is $82,095
(2023 ACS); Oneida County, an older industrial county, runs below that figure. Population density
works out to roughly 191 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, anchored by
Mohawk Valley Health System’s new Wynn Hospital campus in downtown Utica. Turning Stone
Resort Casino, run by the Oneida Indian Nation in the town of Verona, is the largest private
employer in the county and draws visitors well beyond the Mohawk Valley. SUNY Polytechnic
Institute, in the town of Marcy, anchors a growing nanotechnology and computer-chip research
cluster tied to the state’s semiconductor investment push. Rome remains home to the Air Force
Research Laboratory at the former Griffiss Air Force Base, a major information-technology and
defense-research employer. The county’s biggest annual event is the Boonville-Oneida County
Fair each August, one of the oldest agricultural fairs in the state.

History

New York’s legislature formed Oneida County on 15 March 1798, carving it out of Herkimer
County. The name honors the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, or
Haudenosaunee, who held territory across the region before European settlement and displacement.
The Oneida Indian Nation has kept a reservation presence in the county since the years following
the American Revolutionary War.

On 6 August 1777, Tryon County militia under General Nicholas Herkimer marching to relieve Fort
Stanwix were ambushed near the village of Oriska, in what became the Battle of Oriskany —
one of the bloodiest engagements of the Revolutionary War and now marked by the Oriskany Battlefield
State Historic Site. Utica and Rome grew through the 19th century on the Erie Canal and later rail
lines, drawing waves of Welsh, Irish, Italian and Eastern European immigrants into textile and
metalworking jobs; Utica remains a resettlement hub for refugees today.

Getting There

Interstate 90, the New York State Thruway, crosses the county’s southern towns through Verona
and past Utica and Rome. NY 12, NY 5, NY 8, NY 26 and NY 69 run through the county, along with the
State Route 12 arterial connecting Utica and Rome directly.

• Syracuse — about 45 miles west
• Albany — about 90 miles east
• Watertown — about 55 miles north
• Binghamton — about 75 miles south

Griffiss International Airport in Rome handles general aviation and cargo; Syracuse Hancock
International Airport, about 45 miles west, is the nearest major commercial airport. Amtrak’s
Lake Shore Limited and Empire Service trains stop at Utica’s Union Station on Main Street,
connecting to New York City, Albany, Buffalo and Chicago.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Oneida County located?
It sits in New York’s Mohawk Valley, about 45 miles east of Syracuse, bordered by Lewis,
Oswego, Madison, Otsego and Herkimer counties.

What is the population of Oneida County?
232,125 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 226,392.

How big is Oneida County?
1,258 square miles (3,258 km2), of which 1,212 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Oneida County?
Utica is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and villages are in Oneida County?
Three cities — Utica, Rome and Sherrill — 26 towns and 16 incorporated villages.

What ZIP codes does Oneida County use?
13501 for Utica, 13440 for Rome, 13461 for Sherrill, and a further sixteen village codes from
13309 (Boonville) to 13495 (Yorkville), listed above.

What is Oneida County known for?
The Battle of Oriskany in 1777, Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, and SUNY Polytechnic
Institute’s nanotechnology campus in Marcy.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in New York.