Saranac Lake, NY

Census Place

2024 Population

4,965

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

40.7

3.1% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.7%

4.92% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$61,967

2.43% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Saranac Lake, NY is home to a population of 4.97k people, from which 99.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 2.13% of Saranac Lake, NY residents were born outside of the country (106 people).

In 2024, there were 40 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (4.49k people) in Saranac Lake, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 112 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 78 Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.1% of Saranac Lake, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Saranac Lake, NY was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Saranac Lake, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
4.49k ± 470
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
112 ± 64
Asian (Non-Hispanic)
78 ± 69

3.61%

Hispanic Population

179 people

3.61% of the people in Saranac Lake, NY are hispanic (179 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Saranac Lake, 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

2.13%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

106 people

0.726%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

37 people

As of 2024, 2.13% of Saranac Lake, NY residents (106 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 Saranac Lake, NY was 0.726%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
122 ± 63
Gulf War (2001-)
56 ± 50
Gulf War (1990s)
25 ± 36

Saranac Lake, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.18 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Saranac Lake, NY employs 2.56k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Saranac Lake, NY were Educational Services (622 people), Retail Trade (373 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (371 people), and the highest paying industries were Manufacturing ($71,731), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($68,750), and Construction ($67,738).

Employment

Occupations

2.56k

2024 Value

± 333

−1.24%

1 Year decline

± 18.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Saranac Lake, NY declined at a rate of −1.24%, from 2.59k employees to 2.56k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Saranac Lake, NY, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (362 people), Sales & Related Occupations (311 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (289 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Saranac Lake, 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

2.56k

2024 Value

± 333

−1.24%

1 Year decline

± 18.8%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Saranac Lake, NY declined at a rate of −1.24%, from 2.59k employees to 2.56k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Saranac Lake, NY, are Educational Services (622 people), Retail Trade (373 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (371 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Saranac Lake, NY, though some of these residents may live in Saranac Lake, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,896

Median earning men ± $5,573

$38,465

Median earning women ± $5,223

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($80,368), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($70,313), and Construction ($67,738).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($47,500), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($46,591), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,462).

Education

The student population of Saranac Lake, NY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 578 male students and 1,080 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Saranac Lake, NY are White (153 and 76.9%), Unknown (20 and 10.1%), Black or African American (9 and 4.52%), and Hispanic or Latino (9 and 4.52%).

The largest universities in Saranac Lake, NY by number of degrees awarded are North Country Community College (200 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Saranac Lake, NY are Registered Nursing (52 and 26%), Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (49 and 24.5%), and Entrepreneurial Studies (30 and 15%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 1,658 students enrolled in Saranac Lake, NY, 34.9% men and 65.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,353 records, of which 70.4% were women and 29.6% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
52 degrees awarded
Entrepreneurial Studies
30 degrees awarded
Humanistic Studies
20 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Saranac Lake, NY was Registered Nursing with 52 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

North Country Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

200 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was North Country Community College with 200 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 60 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Saranac Lake, NY, which is 0.429 times less than the 140 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 153 degrees mean that there were 7.65 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 20 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

Public, 2-year ($5,400) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,282) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) 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 Saranac Lake, NY was $199,900 in 2024, which is 0.601 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $188,900 to $199,900, a 5.82% increase. The homeownership rate in Saranac Lake, NY is 47.2%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Saranac Lake, NY have an average commute time of 15.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Saranac Lake, NY is lower than the national average, with an average of 1 car per household.

Housing

Property

$199,900

Median Property Value 2024

±$24,650

$1,199

Median Property Taxes

±$211

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

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

Rent vs Own

47.2%

Homeownership

2024

66.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 47.2% of the housing units in Saranac Lake, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 47.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Saranac Lake, 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.

$61,967

Median Household Income

± $7,343

2.54k

Number of Households

± 327

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.54k households in Saranac Lake, NY grew to $61,967 from the previous year's value of $60,494.

The following chart displays the households in Saranac Lake, 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 Saranac Lake, 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 (67.8%)
Walked (11%)
Carpooled (10.7%)

In 2024, 67.8% of workers in Saranac Lake, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (11%) and those who carpooled to work (10.7%).

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

15.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Saranac Lake, NY have a shorter commute time (15.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.561% of the workforce in Saranac Lake, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

1 car

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Saranac Lake, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Saranac Lake, NY have 1 car.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Saranac Lake, NY (851 out of 4.81k 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 Males 45 - 54 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Saranac Lake, 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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