Albany County, New York

County in NY, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

317,018

Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

38.4

years ∙ half population younger than 38.4, half older

Diversity Index

51.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

12%

foreign-born population

88%Native

12% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Albany County is a county in New York, United States.

Location

County in NY, US

Co-ordinates

DEC42.588240° N, 73.974010° W

DMS42° 35′ 17.66″ N, 73° 58′ 26.44″ W

Population Density & area

606.3/sq mi (234.1/km²)

Total Area

533.3 sq mi (1,381.3 km²)

Land Area

522.9 sq mi (1,354.3 km²) · 98%

Water Area

10.4 sq mi (27 km²) · 2%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.6% male

Male 48.6%

Female 51.4%

males per 100 females

Albany County 94.6

New York 95.5

United States 98

Nativity

12%

foreign-born population

88%Native

12% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Albany County 12%

New York 22.8%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

38.4

years ∙ half population younger than 38.4, half older

Albany County

38.4

New York

39.8

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

56.7

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Albany County 56.7

New York 62.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Albany County	New York	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	18%	20.5%	22%
Working age (18-64)	63.8%	61.6%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	18.2%	17.9%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	56.7	62.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	28.3	33.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	28.5	29.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

68%

Black

11.5%

Asian

7.5%

Hispanic

7.3%

Other

5.7%

Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

51.1%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Albany County 51.1%

New York 65.4%

United States 61.4%

Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity

Percentage of Albany County population

	Albany County	New York	United States
Hispanic or Latino	7.3%	19.8%	19.3%
Mexican	0.8%	2.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	2.7%	5.1%	1.8%
Cuban	0.3%	0.4%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	3.5%	11.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	92.7%	80.2%	80.7%
One race	87.7%	76.4%	76.4%
White	68%	52.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	11.5%	13.4%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	7.5%	9%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.7%	1%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	5%	3.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

52.7% family

Family 52.7%

Non family 47.3%

% family households

Albany County 52.7%

New York 61.4%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.21

persons per household

Albany County

2.21

New York

2.49

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Albany County population

	Albany County	New York	United States
Total households	134,703	7,722,646	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.21	2.49	2.53
Family households	71,011	4,738,075	82,990,528
Average family size	2.95	3.16	3.14
Married couple family	52,453	3,279,487	60,637,388
Other families	18,558	1,458,588	22,353,140
Male householder	4,754	398,169	6,572,819
Female householder	13,804	1,060,419	15,780,321
Non-family households	63,692	2,984,571	46,236,968
One-person households	48,447	2,398,170	37,140,836
Male householder	22,069	1,045,868	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	6,677	332,696	5,225,110
Female householder	26,378	1,352,302	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	12,022	673,031	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	15,245	586,401	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

147,662

housing units

Albany County 147,662

New York 8,585,241

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

91.2% occupied

Occupied 91.2%

Vacant 8.8%

vacancy rate

Albany County 8.8%

New York 10%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

54.2%

Single family houses

54.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

44.5%

Mobile homes

1.2%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1966

Half of houses were built before 1966, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

26.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

28.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

31%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

13.5%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Albany County	New York	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.6	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	17.7%	24.3%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	47.8%	48.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	34.5%	27.2%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.5%	5.4%	2.9%
1 bedroom	16.2%	19%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	26.4%	26.6%	25%
3 bedrooms	34.4%	31.1%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	20.6%	17.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1966	1959	1981
Total housing units	147,662	8,585,241	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

56.6% owners

Renter-occupied 43.4%

Owner-occupied 56.6%

homeownership rate

Albany County 56.6%

New York 54.3%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.47

Owner-occupied

1.88

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Albany County 2.47

New York 2.66

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Albany County	New York	United States
Total occupied units	134,703	7,722,646	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	26.2%	20.5%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	38.3%	36.5%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	13.7%	17.8%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	21.9%	25.2%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	98.3%	94.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1%	3.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.7%	2.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	12.6%	29.2%	8.4%
1 vehicle	38.8%	33.6%	33.1%
2 vehicles	35.4%	25.4%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	13.1%	11.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	67.9%	64%	51.4%
Electricity	23.5%	15.4%	41.3%
Solar	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	6.4%	16.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	1.6%	2.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.5%	1.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.3%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.8%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.7%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$294,600

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Albany County

$294,600

New York

$423,800

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

23%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

23%

Owners without a mortgage

11.2%

Renters

46.8%

Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Albany County	New York	United States
Property value
Median Value	$294,600	$423,800	$332,700
Under $100,000	5.3%	9.5%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	14.5%	15%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	31.8%	13.2%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	35.8%	19.7%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	11.1%	30.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.3%	12.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	60.4%	57.8%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	39.6%	42.2%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,998	$2,555	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$765	$958	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$1,313	$1,621	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

46.4%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Albany County 46.4%

New York 40.2%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

6.3%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Albany County 6.3%

New York 12%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

80,860

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

5.2%

K–12

52.6%

College / Undergraduate

31.9%

Graduate / Professional

10.3%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

55.6%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Albany County

55.6%

New York

48.5%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Albany County	New York	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	80,860	4,642,703	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5.2%	6.1%	5.7%
K–12	52.6%	64.1%	67.6%
Kindergarten	4%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	15.4%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	16.2%	20.1%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	16.9%	20.4%	21.7%
College or graduate school	42.2%	29.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	31.9%	22.5%	21%
Graduate, professional school	10.3%	7.3%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	55.6%	48.5%	40.9%
School type
Public school	77.3%	74.7%	82%
Private school	22.7%	25.3%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

214,344

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

2.8%

9th-12th, no diploma

3.5%

HS graduate

21.3%

Some college no degree

14.7%

Associates degree

11.3%

Bachelors degree

23.6%

Graduate or professional degree

22.8%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

50.3% · 49.7%

9th-12th, no diploma

50.9% · 49.1%

HS graduate

49.9% · 50.1%

Some college no degree

50.4% · 49.6%

Associates degree

44.6% · 55.4%

Bachelors degree

50.6% · 49.4%

Graduate or professional degree

42.9% · 57.1%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Albany County	New York	United States
Population (25+)	214,344	14,017,184	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	2.8%	6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	3.5%	6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	21.3%	24.3%	26%
Some college, no degree	14.7%	14.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.3%	8.8%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	46.4%	40.2%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	23.6%	22.4%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	22.8%	17.9%	14.1%
High School or higher	93.7%	88%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$61,659

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$30,179

HS graduate

$42,949

Some college or associates

$52,049

Bachelors degree

$71,916

Graduate or professional degree

$88,320

Poverty Rate

5.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

31.3%

HS graduate

15.7%

Some college or associates

11.5%

Bachelors degree or higher

5.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Albany County	New York	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$61,659	$57,966	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$30,179	$31,511	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$42,949	$40,549	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$52,049	$49,306	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$71,916	$76,052	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$88,320	$95,435	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	31.3%	28.1%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	15.7%	16.8%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	11.5%	11.4%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	5.3%	5.3%	4.5%

Insights for Albany County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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