 Otterburn was originally in the historic county of the West Riding of Yorkshire, but was moved into North Yorkshire when the boundary changes approved in 1973 came into effect in 1974.As the population of the village numbered less than 100 people at the 2011 census, the village was included in the civil parish of Airton for census purposes.However, in 2015, North Yorkshire County Council estimated the population of the village to number 40 people, a drop from 50 recorded at the 2011 census.