The village of Dannemora was incorporated in 1901. Permanent settlement had begun in 1838. The early economy was based on mining and smelting iron, but this industry did not become significant until about 1843. Clinton Prison was opened in 1845 to employ convicts to work in the iron industry. In the 21st century, it is classified as a maximum security facility. It houses long-term prisoners and is one of the largest prisons in the state. It is located in the northern portion of the village. From 1900 to 1972, Dannemora also contained the Dannemora Hospital for the Criminally Insane. After being closed for the mentally ill, this facility was used for a variety of prison programs by the Department of Corrections. As a result, Dannemora has become a synonym among many in the state for the place where many of its criminally insane are confined.
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,129 people, 469 households, and 326 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,423.2 people per square mile. There were 516 housing units at an average density of 427.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 49.07% White, 37.95% Black or African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 10.49% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.65% of the population. There were 469 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couplesliving together, 15.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.03. In the village, the population was spread out, with 8.9% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 58.2% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median agewas 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 525.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 682.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $47,019. Males had a median income of $24,753 versus $24,286 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,872. About 13.5% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.1% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over. Note: The census counts prisoners as part of the jurisdictions where they are incarcerated. With the all-male state prison in Dannemora, the ethnicity and gender data for the village is different from that of the general village population and the population of neighboring non-prison towns, because a disproportionate percentage of the prison population is male and black or Hispanic. Household and family statistics, however, do not include the prison population.
