Cortland is a medium-sized city located in the state of New York. With a population of 17,276 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Cortland is the 107th largest community in New York. Cortland has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities.

Cortland is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Cortland to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 17.66 minutes getting to work every day.

The overall education level of Cortland is somewhat higher than in the average US city of 21.84%: 26.09% of adults 25 and older in the city have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Cortland in 2022 was $27,328, which is low income relative to New York, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $109,312 for a family of four. However, Cortland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Cortland is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Cortland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Cortland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Cortland include Irish, English, German, Italian, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Cortland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Arabic.