BATH, N.Y. (WETM) – Five counties in the Southern Tier have ranked within the top ten in New York State for the number of veteran residents, according to data from Steuben County.

Officials in Steuben County announced that a report from The Salamanca Press listed Steuben as the Number 2 county in the state in terms of resident veterans. The data, provided by Stacker, said that 10% of all adult residents in Steuben County are veterans.

Jefferson County in the North Country ranked No. 1. Chemung, Schuyler, Allegany and Tioga Counties also ranked 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th, respectively.

“I think it’s a testament to our common values,” said Steuben County Veterans Service Agency Director Gary Smith. “We have a tradition of military service in this county and it shows.”

Smith is a Gulf War veteran who was previously stationed at Fort Drum in Jefferson County. The North Country ranking was bolstered by a spike in enlistments in the two Gulf Wars.

“I’m proud of this,” Smith said. “I think it says a lot about this county and all our people.”