Even New York's smallest county - Hamilton: population 5,379 - lists nine on the registry.

"To say that you are going to live in a community that is free of sex offenders is really just untrue," said Rick Trunfio, First Assistant Chief District Attorney in Onondaga County. "The bad news is they're here, but they're all over."

Among the nine counties that comprise Central New York, there are 2,169 registered sex offenders. While that may seem to be a high number, the statistics tell a different story.

Using data compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau and the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, CBS 5 News ranked each of New York's 62 counties by total population and by number of registered sex offenders.

A comparison of the two lists reveals that most of the counties in Central New York do not have a disproportionately high number of offenders:

In the second part of his series, Steve Flamisch examines the need for the registry - and whether sex offenders who have already served their time continue to be unfairly targeted by law enforcement and the justice system.

You can look up sex offenders living in your community. Click here and we will link you to the New York State Sex Offender Registry.