Rensselaer County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Rensselaer 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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B
Income Around averageWealthier than 82% of counties in New York
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Rensselaer County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 160,332 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 241.1 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.04% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.3 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 66,686 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Rensselaer County grew by 3.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 160,332 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Rensselaer County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 21.6% of residents. That is 1.1 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 34,582 21.6% +1.1 pts
- Millennials 29–44 34,368 21.4% -0.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 34,186 21.3% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 28,782 18.0% +0.6 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 50.6% of the people living in Rensselaer County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% New York 51.3%
- Men 49.4% New York 48.7%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Rensselaer County
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Economy
Rensselaer County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Rensselaer County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $87,745 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.45% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Rensselaer County is about 1% higher than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Rensselaer County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $181,589 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,216 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 64.8% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Rensselaer County is about 12.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,216 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Rensselaer County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 181 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Rensselaer County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.8 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.5 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 181 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,620 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.0% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 9,379 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,285 | 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 Rensselaer County is 22 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
Rensselaer County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Rensselaer County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.7% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.30 | 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
Rensselaer County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Rensselaer County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.1 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 12.1% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 17.3% | 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).
Rensselaer County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Rensselaer County, NY is the 3rd largest of the 6 counties compared here, 160,332 residents against a local median of 129,358. The measure that sets Rensselaer County, NY apart most is median home price: $181,589, 38% below the local median of $292,288.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 21.8 min against a local median of 18.8 min, 16% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 16% above the local median it puts Rensselaer County, NY at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $293,519 on median home price, so Rensselaer County, NY sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Rensselaer County, NY has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer County, NY | 160,332 | $87,745 #2/6 | $181,589 #5/6 | 21.8 min #5/6 |
| Berkshire County, MA | 129,358 | $76,040 | $337,519 | 16.8 min |
| Columbia County, NY | 61,100 | $82,826 | $292,288 | 21.7 min |
| Albany County, NY | 317,009 | $85,884 | $182,714 | 18.8 min |
| Bennington County, VT | 37,269 | $73,158 | $393,332 | 16.5 min |
| Saratoga County, NY | 238,162 | $100,718 | $99,814 | 23.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Rensselaer County, New York.
How big is Rensselaer County, New York by population?
About 160,332 people live in Rensselaer County, New York, in 66,686 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Rensselaer County, New York?
Averaged over its land area, Rensselaer County, New York has 241 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 2.8 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Rensselaer County, New York?
The median home costs 2.1 times the median household income ($181,589 against $87,745), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,216 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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