Schenectady County, NY

County

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2024 Population

160,369

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Poverty Rate

13.3%

6.4% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$79,623

3.42% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$235,700

5.65% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

76,950

0.917% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Schenectady County, NY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96.3% of the residents in Schenectady County, NY are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Schenectady County, NY are Union College (196866) (481 degrees awarded in 2023), Schenectady County Community College (345 degrees), and Modern Welding School (79 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Schenectady County, NY was $235,700, and the homeownership rate was 64%.

Most people in Schenectady County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 22.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Schenectady County, NY was 2 cars per household.

Schenectady County, NY borders Albany County, NY, Montgomery County, NY, Saratoga County, NY, and Schoharie County, NY.

United States New York Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

Population & Diversity

Schenectady County, NY is home to a population of 160k people, from which 96.3% are citizens. As of 2024, 9.91% of Schenectady County, NY residents were born outside of the country (15.9k people).

In 2024, there were 7.06 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (109k people) in Schenectady County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 15.4k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 7.84k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.3% of Schenectady County, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Schenectady County, NY was 96.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Schenectady County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Schenectady County, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
109k ± 749
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
15.4k ± 1.1k
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
7.84k ± 603

8.27%

Hispanic Population

13.3k people

8.27% of the people in Schenectady County, NY are hispanic (13.3k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Schenectady County, NY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New York.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
493,200 ± 17,027 people
China
410,969 ± 15,575 people
Jamaica
234,174 ± 11,811 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 493,200 New York residents, followed by China with 410,969 and Jamaica with 234,174.

Foreign-Born Population

9.91%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

15.9k people

10.2%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

16.3k people

As of 2024, 9.91% of Schenectady County, NY residents (15.9k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Schenectady County, NY was 10.2%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Schenectady County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,048 ± 361
Gulf War (2001-)
1,476 ± 332
Gulf War (1990s)
719 ± 196

Schenectady County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.39 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Schenectady County, NY.

Economy

The economy of Schenectady County, NY employs 77k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Schenectady County, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (11,604 people), Educational Services (9,109 people), and Retail Trade (8,123 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($96,065), Management of Companies & Enterprises ($94,688), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($91,691).

Employment

Occupations

77k

2024 Value

± 2,230

0.917%

1 Year growth

± 4.05%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Schenectady County, NY grew at a rate of 0.917%, from 76.3k employees to 77k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Schenectady County, NY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,681 people), Management Occupations (8,583 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (5,649 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Schenectady County, NY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New York (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

77k

2024 Value

± 2,230

0.917%

1 Year growth

± 4.05%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Schenectady County, NY grew at a rate of 0.917%, from 76.3k employees to 77k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Schenectady County, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (11,604 people), Educational Services (9,109 people), and Retail Trade (8,123 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Schenectady County, NY, though some of these residents may live in Schenectady County, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$60,298

Median earning men ± $1,493

$49,577

Median earning women ± $1,718

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($85,519), Public Administration ($84,083), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($80,077).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($80,398), Public Administration ($74,340), and Manufacturing ($67,835).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

Y-Axis

2.74%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 9.56M people employed in New York. This represents a 2.74% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 19.7%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New York.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

222
Construction
204
Retail Trade
200
Other Services (except Public Administration)

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$584k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
$526k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$417k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2023, universities in Schenectady County, NY awarded 1,032 degrees. The student population of Schenectady County, NY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 3,002 male students and 3,258 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Schenectady County, NY are White (677 and 69.2%), Black or African American (85 and 8.68%), Asian (82 and 8.38%), and Hispanic or Latino (71 and 7.25%).

The largest universities in Schenectady County, NY by number of degrees awarded are Union College (196866) (481 and 46.6%), Schenectady County Community College (345 and 33.4%), and Modern Welding School (79 and 7.66%).

The most popular majors in Schenectady County, NY are Welding Technology (79 and 7.66%), Econometrics & Quantitative Economics (66 and 6.4%), and Liberal Arts & Sciences (63 and 6.1%).

The median tuition cost in Schenectady County, NY for private four year colleges is $66,105.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Schenectady County, NY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 44.3%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 13.2%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 6,260 (48% men and 52% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 6,260 students enrolled in Schenectady County, NY, 48% men and 52% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,893 records, of which 50% were women and 50% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
42 degrees awarded
Econometrics & Quantitative Economics
66 degrees awarded
Other Research & Experimental Psychology
45 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Schenectady County, NY was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 42 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Schenectady County, NY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Union College (196866)
481 degrees awarded
Schenectady County Community College
345 degrees awarded
Modern Welding School
79 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Union College (196866) with 481 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 478 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Schenectady County, NY, which is 0.863 times less than the 554 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 677 degrees mean that there were 7.96 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 85 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($66,105) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($1,814) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 2-year ($3,473) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Schenectady County, NY was $235,700 in 2024, which is 0.708 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $223,100 to $235,700, a 5.65% increase. The homeownership rate in Schenectady County, NY is 64%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Schenectady County, NY have an average commute time of 22.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Schenectady County, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Schenectady County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.918%.

Housing

Property

$235,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,709

$42,844

Median Property Taxes

±$1,320

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Schenectady County, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Schenectady County, NY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

64%

Homeownership

2024

62.5%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 64% of the housing units in Schenectady County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Schenectady County, NY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$79,623

Median Household Income

± $2,743

66.9k

Number of Households

± 1,988

In 2024, the median household income of the 66.9k households in Schenectady County, NY grew to $79,623 from the previous year's value of $76,989.

The following chart displays the households in Schenectady County, NY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Schenectady County, NY is from New York.

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

0.494

2022 Wage GINI in New York

In 2023, the income inequality in New York was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0797% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New York in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New York across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (71.2%)
Worked At Home (14.3%)
Carpooled (7.93%)

In 2024, 71.2% of workers in Schenectady County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.3%) and those who carpooled to work (7.93%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

22.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Schenectady County, NY have a shorter commute time (22.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.23% of the workforce in Schenectady County, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Schenectady County, NY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Schenectady County, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Schenectady County, NY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Schenectady County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.918%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

13.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Schenectady County, NY (20.7k out of 156k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Schenectady County, NY is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 18.7% of the children was living in poverty in Schenectady County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.4%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 429 in Schenectady County, NY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 21.5 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

96.9% of the population of Schenectady County, NY has health coverage, with 51.1% on employee plans, 19.6% on Medicaid, 12.6% on Medicare, 12.7% on non-group plans, and 0.958% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Schenectady County, NY see 1,255 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,255 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1251 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 351 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,255 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Schenectady County, NY

Primary care physicians in Schenectady County, NY see an average of 1,255 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,255 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Schenectady County, NY in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 23.4% under 18 years, 21.1% between 18 and 34 years, 38.2% between 35 and 64 years, and 17.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

3.11%

Uninsured

51.1%

Employer Coverage

19.6%

Medicaid

12.6%

Medicare

12.7%

Non-Group

0.958%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Schenectady County, NY declined by 7.62% from 3.37% to 3.11%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Schenectady County, NY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 46.3 in Schenectady County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Schenectady County, NY.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 34.3% in Schenectady County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Schenectady County, NY.