City population falls, but county grows

Rochester's population dropped by 795 people last year, according to new estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.

The city's population has fallen by nearly a thousand since 2010, leaving it with an estimated 209,802 residents as of July 1, 2015. Rochester remains the third largest city in the state, behind  New York City (8.55 million) and Buffalo, (258,071).

Monroe County's population has grown by more than 5,000 since the 2010 census, with the towns of Webster, Henrietta, Penfield and Greece showing the largest gains.

Penfield grew by 340 people in 2015, and had added more than 1,200 people since 2010.  Webster remains the fastest growing suburb in Monroe County, adding 244 people in 2015 and more than 1,500 since 2010.

The biggest population decline in the county's suburbs have come in the town of Irondequoit, where the population has fallen by 585 since 2010.  No other suburban town in Monroe County has seen a significant decrease during that time period.

Ontario County, which has been among the fastest growing in western New York, saw it's population decline .  The Census Bureau reported a drop of 22 residents from 2014 to 2015. The towns of Canandaigua (up 180) and Victor (up 116) saw modest gains, while Geneva (down 80) and Manchester (down 62) saw modest losses.

2015 Population Estimates

The population decline in Rochester mirrored what has been happening across western and central New York.

Buffalo's population fell by 1,188 in 2015, the largest decline of any city in New York state.  Syracuse dropped by 327. Binghamton, Elmira, Niagara Falls, and Utica also saw significant one-year declines.

Statewide, New York's population grew by nearly 47,000  from 2014 to 2015, and has added 417,000 people since 2010.

New York City remains the nation's most populous city and gained 55,000 people during the year ending July 1, 2015, which is more than any other U.S. city.

Five of the nations eleven fastest-growing cities are in Texas.

SLAHMAN@Gannett.com

Monroe County population estimates 

For data on other places in New York state, visit our website at http://rochester.nydatabases.com