Eaton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 4,284 at the 2020 census, down from 5,255 in 2010.
The area where Eaton is situated was the principal location of the Oneida people, a sub-group of the Iroquois who allied themselves with the colonial forces during the American Revolution. Euro-American settlement began around 1792. The town of Eaton was formed in 1807 from the town of Hamilton. Eaton is named for William Eaton, a Revolutionary officer and commander of the United States military forces in Tripoli.
Eaton is in the south-central part of the Madison County. US Route 20 passes across the northern part of the town, through Morrisville, the largest community in the town. Route 20 leads east to Madison and west to Cazenovia. New York State Route 26 crosses the southern portion of the town, passing through the hamlets of Eaton and West Eaton. Route 26 leads east into Madison and southwest to Georgetown. Part of the village of Hamilton is in the southeast part of Eaton.
Eaton is centered at 42.850 degrees north latitude, 75.612 degrees west longitude. The town contains the geographic center of the state (near Pratts Hollow). The Chenango River, a south-flowing tributary of the Susquehanna River, rises in the town. The northeast part of town is drained by Blue Creek, a north-flowing tributary of Oneida Creek, part of the Oswego River watershed flowing to Lake Ontario.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.07%, are water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,826 people, 1,358 households, and 935 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,798 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.41% White, 6.55% African American, 0.46% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population.
There were 1,358 households, out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 30.7% from 18 to 24, 20.8% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $36,229, and the median income for a family was $39,643. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $23,107 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,538. About 6.0% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.