Town guide

Cortland, New York

Cortland is a city in Cortland County, New York, home to about 17,450 people across 3.9 square miles. Its ZIP code is 13045.

Homes sold for a median of $155 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.

Population17,4504,486 per sq mi
Median home value$152,600Census, as estimated by owners
Price per sq ft$155Sold homes, 3 months to August 2026
Sold over asking45%Latest 3 months

ZIP codes in Cortland

1 ZIP code

Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Cortland. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology

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We’re writing up Cortland’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.

  • History
  • What it’s like to live there
  • Getting around
  • Things to do

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Around Cortland

Distances

Nearest major airportSyracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR)36 miles away
Closer regional airportIthaca Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH)16 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Buffalo, NY137 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+New York, NY177 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Cortland; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Cortland

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Cortland had 17,556 residents in the 2020 census, down 6% since 2000.

It’s the 132nd largest of 1,007 towns in New York by population.

Cortland County grew from 27,576 residents in 1900 to 46,809 in 2020.

Cortland population by census2000: 18,740, 2010: 19,204, 2020: 17,55618,740200019,204201017,5562020

Cortland County, 1900–2020

Cortland County population, 1900 to 20201900: 27,576, 1910: 29,249, 1920: 29,625, 1930: 31,709, 1940: 33,668, 1950: 37,158, 1960: 41,113, 1970: 45,894, 1980: 48,820, 1990: 48,963, 2000: 48,599, 2010: 49,336, 2020: 46,80928K’00’1030K’20’3034K’40’5041K’60’7049K’80’9049K’00’1047K’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 79°F in summer, and winter lows average 12°F. About 39.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 64 inches of snow.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near CortlandJan: high 30°F, low 12°F, 2.2 in; Feb: high 33°F, low 12°F, 2 in; Mar: high 40°F, low 20°F, 2.7 in; Apr: high 53°F, low 33°F, 3.2 in; May: high 66°F, low 44°F, 3.5 in; Jun: high 75°F, low 53°F, 4.2 in; Jul: high 79°F, low 58°F, 4.1 in; Aug: high 78°F, low 55°F, 4.1 in; Sep: high 71°F, low 49°F, 4.1 in; Oct: high 58°F, low 38°F, 3.9 in; Nov: high 46°F, low 29°F, 2.8 in; Dec: high 35°F, low 21°F, 2.7 in30°12°Jan2.233°12°Feb2.040°20°Mar2.753°33°Apr3.266°44°May3.575°53°Jun4.279°58°Jul4.178°55°Aug4.171°49°Sep4.158°38°Oct3.946°29°Nov2.835°21°Dec2.7Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Freeville 1 Ne, NY weather station (9 miles away).

Jobs in Cortland County

14,353 jobs at 981 businesses in Cortland County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Cortland CountyHotels and restaurants: 3,018 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 2,776 jobs; Manufacturing: 2,301 jobs; Retail trade: 2,256 jobs; Other services: 684 jobs; Professional services: 620 jobs; Construction: 468 jobs; Finance and insurance: 437 jobsHotels and restaurants 21% Health care and social assistance 19% Manufacturing 16% Retail trade 16% Other services 5% Professional services 4% Construction 3% Finance and insurance 3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

437 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Cortland.

Nearest hospitals

  • Guthrie Cortland Regional Medical CenterGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Cortland1.0 miles
  • Cayuga Medical Center at IthacaGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 3 of 5 · Ithaca19.9 miles
  • Auburn Community HospitalGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 2 of 5 · Auburn30.6 miles

Providers with an office here

Primary care doctors46
Specialist doctors48
Dentists14
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants77
Mental health providers174
Physical and occupational therapists65
Optometrists6
Chiropractors7
Pharmacies11

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Cortland

Parks (7 nearby)

  • Municipal Water Works Nature Park · 38 acres0.6 mi
  • Sugget Park · 17 acres0.7 mi
  • Ted Testa Park · 16 acres0.9 mi
  • Beaudry Park · 13 acres0.5 mi
  • Dexter Park · 6 acres1.2 mi
  • Courthouse Park · 2 acres0.6 mi

Grocery stores (4 nearby)

  • Cortland Produce Cash & Carry0.2 mi
  • Groton Ave Liquors0.4 mi
  • Grand Union0.9 mi
  • P&C Fresh1.2 mi

Pharmacies (4 nearby)

  • CVS Pharmacy0.3 mi
  • Kinney Drugs0.5 mi
  • Walgreens0.9 mi
  • Rite Aid1.0 mi

Libraries (1 nearby)

  • Cortland Free Library0.5 mi

Museums (2 nearby)

  • 1890 House0.2 mi
  • New York State Grange Museum1.1 mi

Theaters and performance venues

  • Center for the Arts of Homer2.7 mi

Counts are within about 1.5 miles of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Colleges, teams and notable people

Established in 1791.

Colleges and universities

  • State University of New York at Cortland

Notable people born here

  • Alton B. Parker (1852) · American judge (1852–1926)
  • David Eugene Smith (1860) · American mathematician (1860–1944)
  • Craig Gruber (1951) · American musician
  • Gideon C. Moody (1832) · former American senator (1832-1904)
  • Mark Nauseef (1953) · musician
  • Micky Lee Soule (1946) · American musician
  • Charles Holland Duell (1850) · United States Commissioner of Patents and United States federal judge

Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.

Schools in Cortland

Public schools here are run by Cortland City School District. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (5)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
Franklyn S Barry Primary SchoolCortlandPre-K–2417Public0.6 mi
Fe Smith Intermediate SchoolCortland3–4291Public1.2 mi
Randall Middle SchoolCortland5–6272Public0.6 mi
Cortland Junior High SchoolCortland7–8274Public0.7 mi
Cortland High SchoolCortland9–12582Public0.7 mi
Private schools (2)
SchoolGradesStudentsAffiliationDistance
St Mary's SchoolCortlandPre-K–696Roman Catholic0.7 mi
Cortland Christian AcademyCortlandK–12101Baptist1.0 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Where Cortland is

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Towns near Cortland

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Shares ZIP codes with Cortlandville, Homer, Virgil, Groton and Summerhill.

Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.