Chenango County is located in central New York, near the Southen Tier region of the state. Chenango County has a total area of approximately 899 square miles of which 99% is land and less than 1% water. As of the census of 2000, there were 51,401 people, 19,926 households, and 13,549 families residing in Chenango County, New York. Out of New York's 58 counties, the County ranks as only the 43rd most populous. The population density is only 58 per square mile. The county's name is from an Oneida word meaning "large bull-thistle."