Seneca County, New York

County in NY, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

32,920

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

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 43, half older

Diversity Index

23.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

foreign-born population

97%Native

3% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

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

Location

County in NY, US

Co-ordinates

DEC42.782294° N, 76.827088° W

DMS42° 46′ 56.26″ N, 76° 49′ 37.52″ W

Population Density & area

101.7/sq mi (39.27/km²)

Total Area

390.4 sq mi (1,011.2 km²)

Land Area

323.7 sq mi (838.4 km²) · 82.9%

Water Area

66.7 sq mi (172.8 km²) · 17.1%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

51.6% male

Male 51.6%

Female 48.4%

males per 100 females

Seneca County 106.8

New York 95.5

United States 98

Nativity

foreign-born population

97%Native

3% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Seneca County 3%

New York 22.8%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

years ∙ half population younger than 43, half older

Seneca County

New York

39.8

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Seneca County 72

New York 62.3

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	20.3%	20.5%	22%
Working age (18-64)	58.1%	61.6%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	21.6%	17.9%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	72	62.3	64.4
Child dependency ratio	34.9	33.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	37.1	29.1	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

87.3%

Black

3.5%

Asian

0.6%

Hispanic

4.4%

Other

4.2%

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

23.3%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Seneca County 23.3%

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 Seneca County population

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4.4%	19.8%	19.3%
Mexican	0.6%	2.6%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	1.8%	5.1%	1.8%
Cuban	0.1%	0.4%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	1.8%	11.8%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	95.6%	80.2%	80.7%
One race	92.1%	76.4%	76.4%
White	87.3%	52.8%	57.4%
Black or African American	3.5%	13.4%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.1%	0.2%	0.5%
Asian	0.6%	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)	3.5%	3.8%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

55.6% family

Family 55.6%

Non family 44.4%

% family households

Seneca County 55.6%

New York 61.4%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.28

persons per household

Seneca County

2.28

New York

2.49

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Seneca County population

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Total households	13,606	7,722,646	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.28	2.49	2.53
Family households	7,569	4,738,075	82,990,528
Average family size	3.02	3.16	3.14
Married couple family	5,828	3,279,487	60,637,388
Other families	1,741	1,458,588	22,353,140
Male householder	591	398,169	6,572,819
Female householder	1,150	1,060,419	15,780,321
Non-family households	6,037	2,984,571	46,236,968
One-person households	4,838	2,398,170	37,140,836
Male householder	2,255	1,045,868	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	942	332,696	5,225,110
Female householder	2,583	1,352,302	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	1,475	673,031	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	1,199	586,401	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

16,194

housing units

Seneca County 16,194

New York 8,585,241

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

84% occupied

Occupied 84%

Vacant 16%

vacancy rate

Seneca County 16%

New York 10%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

71.2%

Single family houses

71.2%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

18.9%

Mobile homes

9.9%

Boat, RV, van, etc

0.1%

Median Year Built

1961

Half of houses were built before 1961, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

35.6%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

22.9%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

28.4%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

13.1%

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

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	6.1	5	5.5
1–3 rooms	11.2%	24.3%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	44.7%	48.4%	51.6%
7+ rooms	44.1%	27.2%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	2.1%	5.4%	2.9%
1 bedroom	9.3%	19%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	26.2%	26.6%	25%
3 bedrooms	41.8%	31.1%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	20.6%	17.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1961	1959	1981
Total housing units	16,194	8,585,241	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

71% owners

Renter-occupied 29%

Owner-occupied 71%

homeownership rate

Seneca County 71%

New York 54.3%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.41

Owner-occupied

1.95

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Seneca County 2.41

New York 2.66

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Total occupied units	13,606	7,722,646	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	16.7%	20.5%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	38.6%	36.5%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	18%	17.8%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	26.7%	25.2%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	99%	94.7%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	0.8%	3.1%	2.2%
1.51 or more	0.2%	2.2%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	8.8%	29.2%	8.4%
1 vehicle	36.8%	33.6%	33.1%
2 vehicles	37.4%	25.4%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	17%	11.8%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	63.8%	64%	51.4%
Electricity	16.6%	15.4%	41.3%
Solar	0.1%	0.1%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	10.1%	16.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	8.8%	2.8%	2%
No fuel used	0.6%	1.6%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.5%	0.4%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	1.2%	0.8%	0.8%
No telephone service available	1.3%	0.9%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$155,400

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Seneca County

$155,400

New York

$423,800

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

25.3%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

25.3%

Owners without a mortgage

15.2%

Renters

44.5%

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

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Property value
Median Value	$155,400	$423,800	$332,700
Under $100,000	23.8%	9.5%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	41%	15%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	18.9%	13.2%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	8.8%	19.7%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	6.3%	30.1%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.2%	12.6%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	53.4%	57.8%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	46.6%	42.2%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,418	$2,555	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$665	$958	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$957	$1,621	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

25.2%

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

Seneca County 25.2%

New York 40.2%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

15.3%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Seneca County 15.3%

New York 12%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

6,331

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

K–12

74.1%

College / Undergraduate

13.1%

Graduate / Professional

7.8%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

23.7%

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

Seneca County

23.7%

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

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	6,331	4,642,703	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	5%	6.1%	5.7%
K–12	74.1%	64.1%	67.6%
Kindergarten	4.5%	4.9%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	22.2%	18.7%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	26.7%	20.1%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	20.7%	20.4%	21.7%
College or graduate school	20.9%	29.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	13.1%	22.5%	21%
Graduate, professional school	7.8%	7.3%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	23.7%	48.5%	40.9%
School type
Public school	76.6%	74.7%	82%
Private school	23.4%	25.3%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

23,742

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

5.5%

9th-12th, no diploma

9.8%

HS graduate

30.4%

Some college no degree

16.4%

Associates degree

12.6%

Bachelors degree

15.8%

Graduate or professional degree

9.5%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

56.9% · 43.1%

9th-12th, no diploma

68.5% · 31.5%

HS graduate

57.7% · 42.3%

Some college no degree

50.3% · 49.7%

Associates degree

37.1% · 62.9%

Bachelors degree

43.2% · 56.8%

Graduate or professional degree

42.3% · 57.7%

Educational Attainment Overview

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

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Population (25+)	23,742	14,017,184	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	5.5%	6%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	9.8%	6%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	30.4%	24.3%	26%
Some college, no degree	16.4%	14.6%	19.1%
Associate's degree	12.6%	8.8%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.2%	40.2%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	15.8%	22.4%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	9.5%	17.9%	14.1%
High School or higher	84.7%	88%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$48,280

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$31,938

HS graduate

$41,833

Some college or associates

$50,502

Bachelors degree

$52,408

Graduate or professional degree

$63,307

Poverty Rate

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

20.3%

HS graduate

16.8%

Some college or associates

7.4%

Bachelors degree or higher

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Seneca County	New York	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$48,280	$57,966	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$31,938	$31,511	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$41,833	$40,549	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$50,502	$49,306	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$52,408	$76,052	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$63,307	$95,435	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	20.3%	28.1%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	16.8%	16.8%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	7.4%	11.4%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	6%	5.3%	4.5%

Insights for Seneca 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.

Cite this page

Citation style

Url to be used as reference

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal or tax advice. We recommend that you consult with a qualified professional such as a lawyer or accountant before making a decision. Many of the products and services featured here are from our affiliate partners. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links. Read advertiser disclosure.