In its earliest years Steuben County was demographically and geographically linked to the Susquehanna River basin in Pennsylvania, leading to the port of Baltimore.

There were no natural barriers, like the Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk, to impede transportation, and timber and other agricultural products were easily shipped downriver from what are today (2019) the towns of Addison, Canisteo, and Hornellsville.

Prior to the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, followed by the railroads, communication with the Hudson Valley and New York City was difficult.

Limited to horses, mules, and donkeys, it was far too expensive to be used to ship bulky agricultural products.

[6] Steuben County is in the southwestern part of New York State, immediately north of the Pennsylvania border.

18.6% were of German, 15.2% English, 14.4% American, 13.6% Irish and 8.3% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000.

The largest employer in Steuben County is Corning, Inc. (formerly Corning Glass Works), the world headquarters of a large firm (34,000 employed worldwide) which manufactures specialty glass and related products.

Former industries in Steuben County are the Steuben Glass Works, in Corning, now part of Corning Glass Works, and the Erie Railroad repair shops, in Hornell.

There is one institution of post-secondary education in Steuben County: Corning Community College.