Onondaga County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Onondaga 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
-
B
Income Around average
-
B
Education Around averageBetter educated than 82% of counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Onondaga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 470,361 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 584.2 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.4 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 197,373 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Onondaga County grew by 3.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 470,361 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Onondaga County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.5% of residents. That is 1.0 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 101,250 21.5% +1.0 pts
- Millennials 29–44 96,708 20.6% -1.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 96,578 20.5% -0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 84,827 18.0% +0.7 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 51.7% of the people living in Onondaga County and men 48.3%.
- Women 51.7% New York 51.3%
- Men 48.3% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Onondaga County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Onondaga County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Onondaga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $77,376 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.12% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Onondaga County is about 11% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Onondaga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $150,980 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,107 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 65.9% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Onondaga County is about 11.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,107 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Onondaga County spend about 36 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 150 hours, about 6.3 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Onondaga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.1 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 36.1 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 150 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,664 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.1% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,341 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,481 | 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 Onondaga County is 18 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
Onondaga County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Onondaga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.5% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.27 | 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
Onondaga County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Onondaga County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.4 | 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).
Onondaga County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Onondaga County, NY is the largest of the 6 counties compared here, 470,361 residents against a local median of 75,102. The measure that sets Onondaga County, NY apart most is median home price: $150,980, 29% above the local median of $116,927.
The counties themselves spread $79,167 on median home price, so Onondaga County, NY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Onondaga County, NY has the 2nd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onondaga County, NY | 470,361 | $77,376 #1/6 | $150,980 #2/6 | 18.1 min #2/6 |
| Cayuga County, NY | 75,102 | $68,324 | $82,647 | 18.6 min |
| Cortland County, NY | 46,246 | $69,777 | $139,484 | 18.2 min |
| Oswego County, NY | 117,951 | $69,374 | $105,390 | 22.6 min |
| Madison County, NY | 67,325 | $75,545 | $161,813 | 21.5 min |
| Tompkins County, NY | 103,844 | $74,388 | $116,927 | 17.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Onondaga County, New York.
How many people live in Onondaga County, New York?
About 470,361 people live in Onondaga County, New York, in 197,373 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 38.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
How densely populated is Onondaga County, New York?
Averaged over its land area, Onondaga County, New York has 584 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 6.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Onondaga County, New York?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($150,980 against $77,376), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,107 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →