Ithaca, NY

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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

Population & Diversity

Ithaca, NY is home to a population of 105k people, from which 91.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 12.8% of Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ithaca, NY was 91.8%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY are hispanic (6.89k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
492,198 ± 17,010 people
China
414,597 ± 15,642 people
Jamaica
229,554 ± 11,695 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 492,198 New York residents, followed by China with 414,597 and Jamaica with 229,554.

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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY was 13%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Ithaca, 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

Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY.

Economy

The economy of Ithaca, NY employs 50.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY, though some of these residents may live in Ithaca, 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

The student population of Ithaca, NY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 16,875 male students and 19,643 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ithaca, NY are White (3,767 and 49.1%), Asian (1,630 and 21.2%), Hispanic or Latino (979 and 12.7%), and Black or African American (461 and 6%).

The largest universities in Ithaca, NY by number of degrees awarded are Cornell University (8,826 and 83.9%), Ithaca College (1,216 and 11.6%), and Tompkins Cortland Community College (473 and 4.5%).

The most popular majors in Ithaca, NY are Computer Science (897 and 8.53%), General Business Administration & Management (658 and 6.26%), and Information Technology (420 and 3.99%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $60,498.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Ithaca, NY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 18.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 32.5%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 36,518 (46.2% men and 53.8% 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 2024 there were 36,518 students enrolled in Ithaca, NY, 46.2% men and 53.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 14,027 records, of which 54.3% were women and 45.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Computer Science
541 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
290 degrees awarded
Labor & Industrial Relations
286 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Ithaca, NY was Computer Science with 541 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Cornell University
8,826 degrees awarded
Ithaca College
1,216 degrees awarded
Tompkins Cortland Community College
473 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Cornell University with 8,826 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 4,944 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ithaca, NY, which is 0.887 times less than the 5,571 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,767 degrees mean that there were 2.31 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Asian, with 1,630 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 ($60,498) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY is 54.1%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

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

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

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY grew to $74,024 from the previous year's value of $73,012.

The following chart displays the households in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY is from New York.

0.492

2024 Wage GINI in New York

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

In 2024, the income inequality in New York was 0.492 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.301% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.474. 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 Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, NY have a shorter commute time (20.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.76% of the workforce in Ithaca, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

16.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ithaca, 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 Ithaca, 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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