Tompkins County, NY

County

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2024 Population

104,537

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

32.3

1.52% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

16.4%

6.99% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$74,024

1.39% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$290,900

7.15% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

50,491

2.23% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Tompkins 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.

91.5% of the residents in Tompkins County, NY are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Tompkins County, NY are Cornell University (8,782 degrees awarded in 2023), Ithaca College (1,511 degrees), and Tompkins Cortland Community College (411 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Tompkins County, NY was $290,900, and the homeownership rate was 54.1%.

Most people in Tompkins County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 20.1 minutes. The average car ownership in Tompkins County, NY was 2 cars per household.

Tompkins County, NY borders Cayuga County, NY, Chemung County, NY, Cortland County, NY, Schuyler County, NY, Seneca County, NY, and Tioga County, NY.

About the photo: Taughannock Falls

Photo by Penny Higgins

United States New York Ithaca, NY

Population & Diversity

Tompkins County, NY is home to a population of 105k people, from which 91.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 12.8% of Tompkins County, NY residents were born outside of the country (13.3k people).

In 2024, there were 7.26 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (77k people) in Tompkins County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.6k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 3.8k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.5%

2024 Citizenship

91.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.5% of Tompkins County, NY residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Tompkins County, NY was 91.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Tompkins County, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
77k ± 562
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
10.6k ± 384
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.8k ± 332

6.59%

Hispanic Population

6.89k people

6.59% of the people in Tompkins County, NY are hispanic (6.89k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Tompkins 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

12.8%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

13.3k people

13%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

13.3k people

As of 2024, 12.8% of Tompkins County, NY residents (13.3k 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 Tompkins County, NY was 13%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,116 ± 243
Gulf War (2001-)
489 ± 188
Gulf War (1990s)
275 ± 93

Tompkins County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.28 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Tompkins County, NY employs 50.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Tompkins County, NY were Educational Services (17,784 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,766 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (5,082 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($89,625), Manufacturing ($70,859), and Finance & Insurance ($68,594).

Employment

Occupations

50.5k

2024 Value

± 2,020

2.23%

1 Year growth

± 5.28%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Tompkins County, NY grew at a rate of 2.23%, from 49.4k employees to 50.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Tompkins County, NY, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (8,909 people), Management Occupations (5,735 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,936 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Tompkins 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

50.5k

2024 Value

± 2,020

2.23%

1 Year growth

± 5.28%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Tompkins County, NY grew at a rate of 2.23%, from 49.4k employees to 50.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Tompkins County, NY, are Educational Services (17,784 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (5,766 people), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (5,082 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Tompkins County, NY, though some of these residents may live in Tompkins County, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,901

Median earning men ± $2,568

$41,028

Median earning women ± $1,624

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($78,150), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($77,093), and Manufacturing ($74,009).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($61,587), Public Administration ($61,505), and Manufacturing ($49,783).

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

167
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
127
Other Services (except Public Administration)
123
Accommodation and Food Services

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

$945k
Educational Services
$358k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$202k
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Tompkins County, NY awarded 10,704 degrees. The student population of Tompkins County, NY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 16,385 male students and 19,427 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Tompkins County, NY are White (3,995 and 50.6%), Asian (1,502 and 19%), Hispanic or Latino (1,000 and 12.7%), and Unknown (499 and 6.31%).

The largest universities in Tompkins County, NY by number of degrees awarded are Cornell University (8,782 and 82%), Ithaca College (1,511 and 14.1%), and Tompkins Cortland Community College (411 and 3.84%).

The most popular majors in Tompkins County, NY are Computer Science (832 and 7.77%), General Business Administration & Management (743 and 6.94%), and Information Technology (366 and 3.42%).

The median tuition cost in Tompkins County, NY for private four year colleges is $57,637.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Tompkins County, NY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 17.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 34.4%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 35,812 (45.8% men and 54.2% 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 35,812 students enrolled in Tompkins County, NY, 45.8% men and 54.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 14,391 records, of which 54.6% were women and 45.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Biological Sciences
277 degrees awarded
Computer Science
514 degrees awarded
Hotel Administration & Management
290 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Tompkins County, NY was General Biological Sciences with 277 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Cornell University
8,782 degrees awarded
Ithaca College
1,511 degrees awarded
Tompkins Cortland Community College
411 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Cornell University with 8,782 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 5,051 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Tompkins County, NY, which is 0.894 times less than the 5,653 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 3,995 degrees mean that there were 2.66 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 1,502 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 ($57,637) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,376) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,200) 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 Tompkins County, NY was $290,900 in 2024, which is 0.874 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $271,500 to $290,900, a 7.15% increase. The homeownership rate in Tompkins County, NY is 54.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Tompkins County, NY have an average commute time of 20.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Tompkins County, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 20.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Tompkins County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.63%.

Housing

Property

$290,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,898

$23,422

Median Property Taxes

±$852

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 Tompkins County, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

54.1%

Homeownership

2024

61.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 54.1% of the housing units in Tompkins County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 53.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Tompkins 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.

$74,024

Median Household Income

± $4,332

43.3k

Number of Households

± 1,810

In 2024, the median household income of the 43.3k households in Tompkins County, NY grew to $74,024 from the previous year's value of $73,012.

The following chart displays the households in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 (51.7%)
Worked At Home (20%)
Walked (11.4%)

In 2024, 51.7% of workers in Tompkins County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (20%) and those who walked to work (11.4%).

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

20.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Tompkins County, NY have a shorter commute time (20.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.76% of the workforce in Tompkins County, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Tompkins 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 Tompkins County, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Tompkins County, NY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 20.9% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Tompkins County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 1.63%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

16.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Tompkins County, NY (14.6k out of 89.3k 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 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Tompkins County, NY is White, followed by Two Or More 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, 12.5% of the children was living in poverty in Tompkins County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 2.8%.

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 123 in Tompkins County, NY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 35.2 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

95.6% of the population of Tompkins County, NY has health coverage, with 52.4% on employee plans, 15.1% on Medicaid, 12.1% on Medicare, 15.5% on non-group plans, and 0.559% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Tompkins County, NY see 1,252 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,252 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1663 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 224 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,252 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Tompkins County, NY

Primary care physicians in Tompkins County, NY see an average of 1,252 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,252 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 19.1% under 18 years, 33.9% between 18 and 34 years, 31% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.6% were men and 51.4% were women.

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

Uninsured People

4.36%

Uninsured

52.4%

Employer Coverage

15.1%

Medicaid

12.1%

Medicare

15.5%

Non-Group

0.559%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Tompkins County, NY grew by 4.34% from 4.18% to 4.36%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Tompkins 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 32.6 in Tompkins County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Tompkins 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 33% in Tompkins County, NY.

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