Albany County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Albany County, NY Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above averageHealthier than 87% of counties in New York
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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 79% of counties in New York
-
A
Education Above averageAmong the top 5 best educated counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Albany County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 317,009 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 594.8 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.37% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.5 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 134,699 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Albany County grew by 6.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 317,009 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Albany County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 25.5% of residents. That is 5.0 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 80,751 25.5% +5.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 64,544 20.4% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 62,143 19.6% -1.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 54,093 17.1% -0.3 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below New York, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.4% of the people living in Albany County and men 48.6%.
- Women 51.4% New York 51.3%
- Men 48.6% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Albany County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Albany County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Albany County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,884 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.36% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.0% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Albany County is about 1% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Albany County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $182,714 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,313 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 56.6% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Albany County is about 11.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,313 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Albany County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 156 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Albany County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.8 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.5 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 156 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,845 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.2% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 10,084 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,335 | 1,586 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New York:
Hamilton County (13.6 min), Chautauqua County (15.4 min), Franklin County (16.4 min).
Slowest:
Bronx County (43.2 min), Queens County (41.8 min), Kings County (41.6 min).
The average commute time in Albany County is 19 minutes, shorter than the 29 minutes in New York.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Albany County has a education index of A, which means it is very educated.
| Metric | Albany County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 40.9% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.21 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New York:
New York County (0.5), Tompkins County (0.4), Westchester County (0.4).
Lowest:
Bronx County (0.2), Orleans County (0.2), Hamilton County (0.2).
Health
Albany County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Albany County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.5 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.9% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.6% | 17.4% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New York:
Tompkins County (0.8), Nassau County (0.8), New York County (0.8).
Lowest:
Bronx County (0.8), Montgomery County (0.8), Cattaraugus County (0.8).
Albany County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Albany County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 317,009 residents against a local median of 61,100. Nothing separates Albany County, NY sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 14% below the local median at $182,714 against $212,185. Albany County, NY has the 4th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County, NY | 317,009 | $85,884 #2/6 | $182,714 #4/6 | 18.8 min #1/6 |
| Schenectady County, NY | 160,313 | $80,482 | $212,185 | 21.6 min |
| Greene County, NY | 47,409 | $78,318 | $262,000 | 25.1 min |
| Schoharie County, NY | 30,049 | $69,692 | $154,687 | 25.5 min |
| Rensselaer County, NY | 160,332 | $87,745 | $181,589 | 21.8 min |
| Columbia County, NY | 61,100 | $82,826 | $292,288 | 21.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Albany County, New York.
How many people live in Albany County, New York?
About 317,009 people live in Albany County, New York, in 134,699 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 36.5, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Albany County, New York?
Averaged over its land area, Albany County, New York has 595 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.9 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Albany County, New York?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($182,714 against $85,884), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,313 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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