Cayuga County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Cayuga 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
C
Income Below average
-
D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 75% of counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Cayuga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 75,102 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 87.0 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.60% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.0 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 31,524 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Cayuga County declined by 6.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 75,102 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Cayuga County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.3% of residents. That is 1.5 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 14,444 19.2% -1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 15,072 20.1% -2.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,749 22.3% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 15,346 20.4% +3.1 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 48.7% of the people living in Cayuga County and men 51.3%.
- Women 48.7% New York 51.3%
- Men 51.3% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Cayuga County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Cayuga County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Cayuga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $68,324 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.18% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.8% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Cayuga County is about 21% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Cayuga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $82,647 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $941 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.4% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Cayuga County is about 7.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $941 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Cayuga County spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 155 hours, about 6.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Cayuga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.6 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.3 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 155 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,812 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.7% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,840 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 689 | 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 Cayuga 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
Cayuga County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Cayuga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.7% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.26 | 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
Cayuga County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Cayuga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.9 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.8% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 19.0% | 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).
Cayuga County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Cayuga County, NY is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 75,102 residents against a local median of 103,844. Where Cayuga County, NY breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 29% below the local median of $116,927 at $82,647.
The counties themselves spread $73,567 on median home price, so Cayuga County, NY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Cayuga County, NY has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cayuga County, NY | 75,102 | $68,324 #5/6 | $82,647 #5/6 | 18.6 min #4/6 |
| Seneca County, NY | 32,919 | $67,623 | $138,541 | 17.2 min |
| Onondaga County, NY | 470,361 | $77,376 | $150,980 | 18.1 min |
| Tompkins County, NY | 103,844 | $74,388 | $116,927 | 17.5 min |
| Wayne County, NY | 90,929 | $74,507 | $77,413 | 22.4 min |
| Oswego County, NY | 117,951 | $69,374 | $105,390 | 22.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Cayuga County, New York.
What is the population of Cayuga County, New York?
About 75,102 people live in Cayuga County, New York, in 31,524 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 42.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Cayuga County, New York urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Cayuga County, New York has 87 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Cayuga County, New York an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.2 times the median household income ($82,647 against $68,324), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $941 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Cayuga County, New York?
Unemployment in Cayuga County, New York is only 3.8%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Cayuga County, New York?
21.7% of adults in Cayuga County, New York hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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