Seneca County, New York Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Seneca 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 averageLess healthy than 75% of counties in New York
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C
Income Below averageLess wealthy than 70% of counties in New York
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D
Education Well below averageLess educated than 80% of counties in New York
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Seneca County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 32,919 | 19,748,855 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 84.3 | 362.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.77% | 0.05% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.9 | 38.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 13,606 | 7,694,043 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Seneca County declined by 3.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 32,919 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Seneca County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 21.7% of residents. That is 0.9 points above New York as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,316 19.2% -1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 6,563 19.9% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 7,130 21.7% +0.9 pts
- Boomers 61–79 6,737 20.5% +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 47.8% of the people living in Seneca County and men 52.2%.
- Women 47.8% New York 51.3%
- Men 52.2% New York 48.7%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Seneca County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Seneca County has a the economy index of C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Seneca County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $67,623 | $86,556 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.86% | 4.51% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | 6.4% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Seneca County is about 22% lower than in New York.
Housing
| Metric | Seneca County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $138,541 | $471,885 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $956 | $1,621 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 71.0% | 54.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Seneca County is about 12.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $956 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Seneca County spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 143 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Seneca County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.2 | 28.7 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.3 | 57.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 143 | 239 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,433 | $7,414 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 15.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,830 | 9,257 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 767 | 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 Seneca County is 17 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
Seneca County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Seneca County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.0% | 36.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.28 | 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
Seneca County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Seneca County | New York Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.7 | 80.3 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 13.7% | 13.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 18.2% | 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).
Seneca County, NY Compared With Nearby Counties
Seneca County, NY is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 32,919 residents against a local median of 89,473. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Seneca County, NY an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is median home price, 10% above the local median at $138,541 against $125,390. Seneca County, NY has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca County, NY | 32,919 | $67,623 #5/5 | $138,541 #2/5 | 17.2 min #1/5 |
| Yates County, NY | 24,526 | $69,349 | $155,172 | 17.3 min |
| Cayuga County, NY | 75,102 | $68,324 | $82,647 | 18.6 min |
| Tompkins County, NY | 103,844 | $74,388 | $116,927 | 17.5 min |
| Ontario County, NY | 112,625 | $82,615 | $133,854 | 20.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Seneca County, New York.
What is the population of Seneca County, New York?
About 32,919 people live in Seneca County, New York, in 13,606 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is Seneca County, New York urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Seneca County, New York has 84 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Seneca County, New York?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($138,541 against $67,623), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $956 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Seneca County, New York?
21.0% of adults in Seneca 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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