Rensselaer, NY

Census Place

2024 Population

9,287

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

36.7

5.66% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.9%

8.39% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$70,080

6.11% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Rensselaer, NY is home to a population of 9.29k people, from which 97.3% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.83% of Rensselaer, NY residents were born outside of the country (913 people).

In 2024, there were 6.47 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.18k people) in Rensselaer, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 956 Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 747 Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.3%

2024 Citizenship

96.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.3% of Rensselaer, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Rensselaer, NY was 96.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Rensselaer, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.18k ± 464
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
956 ± 369
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
747 ± 315

7.96%

Hispanic Population

739 people

7.96% of the people in Rensselaer, NY are hispanic (739 people).

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

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place 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

9.83%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

913 people

9.21%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

852 people

As of 2024, 9.83% of Rensselaer, NY residents (913 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 Rensselaer, NY was 9.21%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
213 ± 132
Gulf War (1990s)
75 ± 54
Gulf War (2001-)
25 ± 32

Rensselaer, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.84 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Rensselaer, NY employs 4.8k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Rensselaer, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (728 people), Public Administration (671 people), and Manufacturing (654 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($98,839), Public Administration ($67,096), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,093).

Employment

Occupations

4.8k

2024 Value

± 592

−1.38%

1 Year decline

± 17.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rensselaer, NY declined at a rate of −1.38%, from 4.87k employees to 4.8k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Rensselaer, NY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (646 people), Material Moving Occupations (472 people), and Management Occupations (409 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Rensselaer, 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

4.8k

2024 Value

± 592

−1.38%

1 Year decline

± 17.6%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Rensselaer, NY declined at a rate of −1.38%, from 4.87k employees to 4.8k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Rensselaer, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (728 people), Public Administration (671 people), and Manufacturing (654 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Rensselaer, NY, though some of these residents may live in Rensselaer, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$52,484

Median earning men ± $11,495

$43,368

Median earning women ± $6,393

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($65,787), Wholesale Trade ($63,779), and Public Administration ($62,337).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Manufacturing ($74,091), Public Administration ($68,564), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($52,132).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Rensselaer, NY was $208,900 in 2024, which is 0.628 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $202,600 to $208,900, a 3.11% increase. The homeownership rate in Rensselaer, NY is 43.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Rensselaer, NY have an average commute time of 22.3 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Rensselaer, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$208,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$22,093

$1,853

Median Property Taxes

±$356

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

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

Rent vs Own

43.3%

Homeownership

2024

57.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 43.3% of the housing units in Rensselaer, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 44.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Rensselaer, 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.

$70,080

Median Household Income

± $8,662

4.28k

Number of Households

± 545

In 2024, the median household income of the 4.28k households in Rensselaer, NY grew to $70,080 from the previous year's value of $66,046.

The following chart displays the households in Rensselaer, 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 $100k - $125k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Rensselaer, 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 (71.5%)
Worked At Home (14.2%)
Carpooled (5.69%)

In 2024, 71.5% of workers in Rensselaer, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (14.2%) and those who carpooled to work (5.69%).

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

22.3 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Rensselaer, NY have a shorter commute time (22.3 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.76% of the workforce in Rensselaer, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Rensselaer, NY (1.65k out of 9.18k 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 Females 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Rensselaer, NY is White, followed by Asian 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.

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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