NORWICH – Town of Plymouth Supervisor Jerry Kreiner jokingly surmised that too much snow may have driven out the 245 people his town lost over the past decade.

But as to a better reason why this small town just northwest of the county’s seat lost the most population of any town in Chenango County since 2000 is anybody’s guess, he said.

Overall, Chenango County lost 924 people over the past decade, according to the long-awaited 2010 U.S. Census report released last Thursday. The county’s population dropped from 51,401 to 50,477. The number of adults and children in Chenango peaked at 51,798 in 1990 before beginning the current downward trend.

The loss is typical statewide and may be a direct result of higher taxes in New York and people leaving for job opportunities outside the area, said Opportunities For Chenango Executive Director Wayne Viera.

Morrisville State College’s Norwich Campus Dean Marsha Cornelius said the college anticipates that enrollment numbers will go down as fewer students will be graduating from high school.

The Town of Norwich gained the most people since 2000, followed by Preston. However, both the City of Norwich and North Norwich lost population.

The outward migration was reflective of the state as a whole. Seventeen counties in New York lost more than 3 percent of their population and 23 grew only slightly (0 to 2.9 percent change). New York’s overall population has grown from 18,976,457 in 2000 to 19,378,102 in 2010.