Ulster County, NY

County

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2024 Population

182,601

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

44.1

0.226% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

14.6%

2.15% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$86,271

5.46% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$352,500

11.9% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

85,390

0.713% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Ulster 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.

96.8% of the residents in Ulster County, NY are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Ulster County, NY are State University of New York at New Paltz (2,074 degrees awarded in 2023), Ulster County Community College (393 degrees), and Yeshiva of Ocean (14 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Ulster County, NY was $352,500, and the homeownership rate was 69.9%.

Most people in Ulster County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.5 minutes. The average car ownership in Ulster County, NY was 2 cars per household.

Ulster County, NY borders Columbia County, NY, Delaware County, NY, Dutchess County, NY, Greene County, NY, Orange County, NY, and Sullivan County, NY.

United States New York Kingston, NY

Population & Diversity

Ulster County, NY is home to a population of 183k people, from which 96.8% are citizens. As of 2024, 8.05% of Ulster County, NY residents were born outside of the country (14.7k people).

In 2024, there were 12.8 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (132k people) in Ulster County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.4k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 8.74k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.8%

2024 Citizenship

96.8%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96.8% of Ulster County, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ulster County, NY was 96.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ulster County, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
132k ± 1.63k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
10.4k ± 509
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
8.74k ± 872

12.2%

Hispanic Population

22.3k people

12.2% of the people in Ulster County, NY are hispanic (22.3k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ulster 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

8.05%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

14.7k people

8.18%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

14.9k people

As of 2024, 8.05% of Ulster County, NY residents (14.7k 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 Ulster County, NY was 8.18%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,124 ± 307
Gulf War (2001-)
1,078 ± 241
Gulf War (1990s)
932 ± 234

Ulster County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.97 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Ulster County, NY employs 85.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ulster County, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (12,978 people), Educational Services (12,116 people), and Retail Trade (8,873 people), and the highest paying industries were Information ($105,426), Utilities ($100,608), and Management of Companies & Enterprises ($95,614).

Employment

Occupations

85.4k

2024 Value

± 2,352

−0.713%

1 Year decline

± 3.91%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ulster County, NY declined at a rate of −0.713%, from 86k employees to 85.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ulster County, NY, are Management Occupations (10,389 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (8,013 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (7,899 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ulster 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

85.4k

2024 Value

± 2,352

−0.713%

1 Year decline

± 3.91%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ulster County, NY declined at a rate of −0.713%, from 86k employees to 85.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ulster County, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (12,978 people), Educational Services (12,116 people), and Retail Trade (8,873 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ulster County, NY, though some of these residents may live in Ulster County, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$63,016

Median earning men ± $2,731

$46,008

Median earning women ± $2,499

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Information ($112,604), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($86,108), and Public Administration ($84,499).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($87,772), Wholesale Trade ($63,233), and Public Administration ($61,072).

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

498
Construction
406
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
353
Retail Trade

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

$426k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$299k
Retail Trade
$221k
Accommodation and Food Services

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

Education

In 2023, universities in Ulster County, NY awarded 2,481 degrees. The student population of Ulster County, NY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 4,276 male students and 6,202 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ulster County, NY are White (1,556 and 65.4%), Hispanic or Latino (463 and 19.5%), Black or African American (129 and 5.42%), and Asian (92 and 3.87%).

The largest universities in Ulster County, NY by number of degrees awarded are State University of New York at New Paltz (2,074 and 83.6%), Ulster County Community College (393 and 15.8%), and Yeshiva of Ocean (14 and 0.564%).

The most popular majors in Ulster County, NY are General Psychology (174 and 7.01%), Elementary Education & Teaching (160 and 6.45%), and General Studies (136 and 5.48%).

The median tuition costs are $8,600 for private four year colleges, and $7,070 and $16,980 respectively, for public four year colleges for in-state students and out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2023 in Ulster County, NY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 58.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 11.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 10,478 (40.8% men and 59.2% 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 10,478 students enrolled in Ulster County, NY, 40.8% men and 59.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 6,257 records, of which 60.5% were women and 39.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
174 degrees awarded
Elementary Education & Teaching
142 degrees awarded
Sociology
103 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ulster County, NY was General Psychology with 174 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

State University of New York at New Paltz
2,074 degrees awarded
Ulster County Community College
393 degrees awarded
Yeshiva of Ocean
14 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was State University of New York at New Paltz with 2,074 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 894 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ulster County, NY, which is 0.563 times less than the 1,587 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 1,556 degrees mean that there were 3.36 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 463 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 ($8,600) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,454) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,240) 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 Ulster County, NY was $352,500 in 2024, which is 1.06 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $315,100 to $352,500, a 11.9% increase. The homeownership rate in Ulster County, NY is 69.9%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ulster County, NY have an average commute time of 27.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ulster County, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 18.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ulster County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.3%.

Housing

Property

$352,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,261

$51,924

Median Property Taxes

±$1,608

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

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

Rent vs Own

69.9%

Homeownership

2024

60.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 69.9% of the housing units in Ulster County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 70%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ulster 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.

$86,271

Median Household Income

± $2,871

74.3k

Number of Households

± 2,094

In 2024, the median household income of the 74.3k households in Ulster County, NY grew to $86,271 from the previous year's value of $81,804.

The following chart displays the households in Ulster 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 $200k+ range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Ulster 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 (68.9%)
Worked At Home (17.6%)
Carpooled (6.5%)

In 2024, 68.9% of workers in Ulster County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (17.6%) and those who carpooled to work (6.5%).

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

27.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ulster County, NY have a longer commute time (27.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.98% of the workforce in Ulster County, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 18.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Ulster County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 1.3%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

14.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ulster County, NY (25.6k out of 175k 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 Males 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Males 18 - 24.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Ulster County, NY is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

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, 13% of the children was living in poverty in Ulster County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 3.6%.

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 174 in Ulster County, NY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator declined 43 per 100,000 population.

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

Health

93.1% of the population of Ulster County, NY has health coverage, with 43.7% on employee plans, 20.2% on Medicaid, 15.7% on Medicare, 12.5% on non-group plans, and 0.852% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Ulster County, NY see 1,678 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,678 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1470 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 237 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,678 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Ulster County, NY

Primary care physicians in Ulster County, NY see an average of 1,678 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,678 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 18.7% under 18 years, 20.1% between 18 and 34 years, 40.1% between 35 and 64 years, and 21.1% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.2% were men and 50.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

6.95%

Uninsured

43.7%

Employer Coverage

20.2%

Medicaid

15.7%

Medicare

12.5%

Non-Group

0.852%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ulster County, NY grew by 7.99% from 6.43% to 6.95%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Ulster 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 41.8 in Ulster County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Ulster 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 32.2% in Ulster County, NY.

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