Delaware County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Delaware 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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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 85% of counties in New York
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Delaware County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 44,487 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 30.3 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.54% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.2 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,203 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Delaware County declined by 3.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 44,487 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Delaware County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 25.0% of residents. That is 7.6 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 8,283 18.6% -1.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 7,463 16.8% -5.4 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,031 22.5% +1.8 pts
- Boomers 61–79 11,116 25.0% +7.6 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 49.2% of the people living in Delaware County and men 50.8%.
- Women 49.2% New York 51.3%
- Men 50.8% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Delaware County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Delaware County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Delaware County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $64,198 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.27% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.4% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Delaware County is about 26% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Delaware County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $165,865 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $880 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.3% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Delaware County is about 15.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $880 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Delaware County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 168 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Delaware County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.2 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.3 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 168 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,210 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.5% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,064 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 524 | 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 Delaware County is 20 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
Delaware County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Delaware County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.7% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.20 | 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
Delaware County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Delaware County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 81.4 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.6% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.8% | 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).
Delaware County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Delaware County, NY is typical in size for this group, 44,487 residents against a local median of 51,259, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Delaware County, NY sits close to the middle of its own neighbourhood. No measure below is more than 15% off the local median, so the choice between these counties turns on things this data does not capture.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 8% below the local median at $64,198 against $69,692. Delaware County, NY has the 4th highest median household income of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delaware County, NY | 44,487 | $64,198 #4/6 | $165,865 #2/6 | 20.2 min #3/6 |
| Otsego County, NY | 60,108 | $69,866 | $162,202 | 18.4 min |
| Sullivan County, NY | 79,713 | $72,978 | $257,426 | 21.7 min |
| Wayne County, PA | 51,259 | $63,340 | $153,572 | 22.0 min |
| Schoharie County, NY | 30,049 | $69,692 | $154,687 | 25.5 min |
| Chenango County, NY | 46,321 | $63,798 | $79,630 | 18.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Delaware County, New York.
How many people live in Delaware County, New York?
About 44,487 people live in Delaware County, New York, in 19,203 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
Is Delaware County, New York urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Delaware County, New York has 30 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 35% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Delaware County, New York?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($165,865 against $64,198), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $880 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Delaware County, New York?
22.7% of adults in Delaware County, New York hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 4), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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