Workforce
Who works in Chemung County, in what industries, at what wages, and where employers find people and training. All figures are from federal statistics; dates are given with each one.
Labor force and wages
- Labor force
- 35,612
- Employed residents
- 34,132
- Unemployment rate
- 4.2%
- Jobs in the county
- 32,747
- Employers
- 1,852
- Average weekly wage
- $1,248
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: labor force and unemployment for August 2026 (preliminary) (Local Area Unemployment Statistics); jobs, employers and wages for Q1 2026 (Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages).
The people
- People
- 82,147
- Median age
- 42 years
- Median household income
- $63,716
- Below the poverty line
- 16%
- Adults 25+ with a bachelor’s degree or more
- 27%
- Unemployment
- 6%
- Median home value
- $141,100
- Median rent
- $1,059 a month
- Homes and apartments
- 39,252 (10% vacant)
Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024.
Private industries: jobs and wages
| Industry | Jobs | Employers | Average weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 5,996 | 193 | $1,253 |
| Manufacturing | 4,684 | 89 | $1,628 |
| Retail | 4,335 | 283 | $730 |
| Hotels and food service | 2,744 | 175 | $491 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,523 | 45 | $1,202 |
| Construction | 1,255 | 135 | $1,557 |
| Administrative and support | 942 | 103 | $863 |
| Professional services | 689 | 108 | $1,428 |
| Other services | 654 | 163 | $715 |
| Finance and insurance | 651 | 72 | $1,950 |
| Education | 516 | 15 | $931 |
| Information | 363 | 15 | $1,439 |
| Arts and recreation | 275 | 32 | $455 |
| Real estate | 272 | 59 | $1,048 |
| 99 | 158 | 121 | $752 |
| Company management | 153 | 19 | $1,965 |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Q1 2026, private employers only. Industries with too few employers to publish are left out by the BLS.
Where the jobs are
| Neighborhood | Jobs located there |
|---|---|
| Tract 7 | 5,380 |
| Tract 4 | 3,303 |
| Tract 105 | 3,093 |
| Tract 103.01 | 2,843 |
| Tract 106 | 2,789 |
| Tract 108 | 2,223 |
54% of the county’s 31,723 jobs pay more than $3,333 a month.
Census Bureau LEHD workplace counts (2023), by census tract; each links to an address report for that area.
Employers with IDA projects
| Project | Jobs now |
|---|---|
| Postler & Jaeckle Elmira | 429 |
| CVS RX Services Chemung | 402 |
| Anchor Glass Container Elmira Heights | 261 |
| Southern Tier Custom Fabricators Elmira | 165 |
| D & G Commercial Realty Horseheads | 142 |
| 1580 Lake Street Elmira | 130 |
| Cameron Manufacturing & Design Horseheads | 127 |
| Economic Opportunity Program of Chemung County Elmira | 114 |
| CAF USA Elmira Heights | 104 |
| William Lake Propertes Elmira | 81 |
Jobs reported by companies with Chemung County IDA tax breaks (NYS Authorities Budget Office). All IDA projects →
All jobs by industry
| Health care and social assistance | 5,388 |
| Manufacturing | 4,674 |
| Retail | 4,095 |
| Education | 3,401 |
| Hotels and food service | 2,753 |
| Public administration | 2,689 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,441 |
| Administrative and support | 1,271 |
| Construction | 1,242 |
| Wholesale trade | 982 |
| Other services | 891 |
| Finance and insurance | 702 |
| Professional services | 698 |
| Information | 394 |
| Real estate | 305 |
| Arts and recreation | 284 |
| Utilities | 164 |
| Company management | 142 |
| Mining | 139 |
| Farming and forestry | 68 |
Census Bureau LEHD workplace counts, 2023, all employers including government.
Finding workers and training
- Southern Tier Small Business Development Center (SBDC): Free, confidential one-on-one advising for new and existing businesses in 12 counties, including Chemung. 607-777-4024.
- Chemung County Chamber of Commerce: Business advocacy, networking, a member directory and Certificate of Origin service for exporters.
- CSS Workforce NY: Helps businesses in Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben find workers and training funding. (607) 937-8337.
- SUNY Corning Community College workforce training: Customized training for employers at the company or at college sites in Corning, Horseheads and Elmira. 607-936-5501.
- Elmira College: a private college in Elmira.