New York · GEOID 36001

Albany County

2024 ACS 5-year estimates · population 317,018 · 147,662 housing units

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Median household income
$85,333
State $89,823
Median home value
$294,600
State $488,843
Median gross rent
$1,313
State $1,707
Homeownership rate
56.6%
State 54.3%
Renter cost-burden rate
46.8%
≥30% of income
Owner cost-burden rate
18.3%
≥30% of income
Homeowner vacancy
0.9%
Of owner-occupied + for-sale units
Rental vacancy
3.3%
Of renter-occupied + for-rent units
Overall vacancy
8.8%
All housing units
Price-to-income ratio
3.45
Affordable: 2.0–3.0

Section 1

Community Profile

Population, demographics, household composition, and income.

Community Data Summary

Albany CountyNew York
Population 317,018 19,852,366
Population density (per sq. mi.) 606.28
Median household income $85,333 $89,823
HUD Area Median Income (4-person, 100%) $123,100
Households 134,703
Average household size 2.21 people
Owner-occupied 56.6% 54.3%
Renter-occupied 43.4% 45.7%
Race 69.2% White · 12.3% Black 0.0% White · 0.0% Black
Source: ACS 5-year 2024 (Tables DP05, S1101, DP04, S1901) and Census Gazetteer (land area); HUD FY2026 Income Limits.

Racial composition

Albany County compared with New York.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP05.

Educational attainment (population 25+)

46.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher (state: 40.2%).
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1501.

Median Household Income by Tenure

Owner-occupied vs. renter-occupied household income, county and state.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25119.

Median Household Income by Age of Householder

Median household income by age group of householder.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B19049.

Median Household Income by Number of Earners

Median household income for families with each earner count.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1903.

Household Size

Distribution of households by number of people.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2501.

Income by Number of Earners

Earners Share Median income Attainable monthly housing cost Attainable home
0 earners 16.6% $75,829 $1,896 $251,242
1 earner 27.9% $79,327 $1,983 $264,263
2 earners 43.7% $154,280 $3,857 $543,263
3+ earners 11.8% $168,693 $4,217 $596,913
Attainable monthly housing cost = 30% of gross income ÷ 12. Attainable home price assumes 30% housing budget, 30-yr mortgage at 7%, 5% down.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S1903; affordability formula derived.

Households

134,703

Average size: 2.21 people

Households with children

28,096

20.9% of households

Per-capita income

$48,210

Poverty rate: 13.2%

Section 2

Residential Market Analysis

Housing stock characteristics — tenure, type, age, size, vacancy, rents.

Tenure

56.6% owner-occupied vs. state average 54.3%.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP04.

Structure type

Single-family share 54.2% · Missing middle (2–19 units) 35.5%.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25024.

Housing stock by decade

67.3% built before 1980 · Median structure age 1,964.00 yrs.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2504.

Housing size mismatch

Compares the share of housing units by bedroom count against the share of households by size — a common diagnostic of housing supply/demand alignment.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Tables B25041 (bedrooms) and S2501 (household size).

Home value distribution

Owner-occupied homes by value bracket. Median: $294,600.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table DP04.

Monthly Housing Costs

Distribution of monthly housing costs across all occupied units.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25104.

Number of Bedrooms

Housing units by number of bedrooms.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25041.

Median rent by bedroom

Overall median gross rent: $1,313.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25031.

Renters by age

Number of renter householders by age bracket.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2502.

Owners by age

Number of owner householders by age bracket.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table S2502.

Vacancy composition

All 12,959 vacant units split into Census's seven categories. Frictional vacancy (units actively on the market) reflects healthy churn. Structural vacancy (seasonal, migrant, other) sits outside the market for year-round residents — high values change how the headline vacancy rate should be read.

Vacant units by type

For sale 5.2% · For rent 15.4% · Seasonal 10.8% · Other 58.2%.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25004.

Frictional vs structural

31.1% of vacancy is frictional (for sale + for rent + rented/sold not yet occupied); 68.9% is structural (seasonal + migrant + other).
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25004.

Seasonal / recreational share of all housing

0.9%

1,396 units of 147,662 total

Housing units held for seasonal or recreational use.

"Other vacant" share of all housing

5.1%

7,537 units of 147,662 total

⚑ Above the 5% threshold — possible indicator of disinvestment, abandonment, or condemned stock.

Section 3

Workforce Housing Needs Assessment

Affordability, cost burden, and the housing options for households in the workforce income range.

Workforce range — ACS median household income

80% MHI$68,266
100% MHI$85,333
120% MHI$102,400

County-wide median from ACS 5-year estimates. A household at 100% MHI in Albany County should be able to afford a home up to roughly (30% housing budget, default mortgage terms).

Workforce range — HUD Area Median Income

1-person2-person4-person
80% AMI $68,950 $78,800 $98,500
100% AMI $86,170 $98,480 $123,100
120% AMI $103,400 $118,200 $147,700

HUD FMR Area: Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY MSA. 80% AMI uses HUD's published Section 8 Low Income Limits; 100% is HUD MFI; 120% is the standard workforce convention.

Affordability calculator

Follows the standard 30%-of-gross-income affordability rule.

Affordable monthly
Affordable home price

Renter cost burden

46.8% of renter households spend ≥30% of income on rent (26.0% spend ≥50%).
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25070.

Owner cost burden by income

18.3% of homeowners spend ≥30% of income on housing. Bars show counts of cost-burdened owners by income bracket.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25106.

Household income — owners vs renters

Distribution of household income for owner-occupied (navy) and renter-occupied (gold) households.
Source: ACS 5-year 2024, Table B25118.

Section 4

Industry & Workforce Wages

Employment, average wages, and the housing each industry's typical earner can afford in Albany County.

Covered employment
219,204
Across 21 sectors
Establishments
11,137
QCEW 2024
Avg annual pay (workforce)
$82,320
Employment-weighted across sectors

Top 10 sectors by employment

Annual average employment by NAICS 2-digit sector. Counties with fewer than five covered establishments in a sector may show suppressed totals.
Source: BLS QCEW Annual Averages, 2024.

Attainable housing by industry

Industry Employment Avg annual wage Affordable home price vs. median value Affordable monthly rent
NAICS 92 Public administration NAICS 92 44,688 $116,890 $404,085 +$109,485 $2,922
NAICS 62 Health care and social assistance NAICS 62 36,144 $69,120 $226,269 −$68,331 $1,728
NAICS 44-45 Retail trade NAICS 44-45 20,252 $42,345 $126,603 −$167,997 $1,059
NAICS 54 Professional, scientific, and technical services NAICS 54 16,898 $110,843 $381,576 +$86,976 $2,771
NAICS 72 Accommodation and food services NAICS 72 13,134 $30,600 $82,884 −$211,716 $765
NAICS 56 Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services NAICS 56 12,847 $50,538 $157,100 −$137,500 $1,263
NAICS 52 Finance and insurance NAICS 52 9,858 $126,513 $439,905 +$145,305 $3,163
NAICS 48-49 Transportation and warehousing NAICS 48-49 9,657 $58,622 $187,191 −$107,409 $1,466
NAICS 31-33 Manufacturing NAICS 31-33 8,640 $92,923 $314,871 +$20,271 $2,323
NAICS 61 Educational services NAICS 61 8,596 $77,574 $257,737 −$36,863 $1,939
NAICS 81 Other services (except public administration) NAICS 81 8,469 $54,337 $171,241 −$123,359 $1,358
NAICS 23 Construction NAICS 23 8,196 $102,569 $350,777 +$56,177 $2,564
NAICS 42 Wholesale trade NAICS 42 6,472 $95,042 $322,759 +$28,159 $2,376
NAICS 51 Information NAICS 51 4,234 $104,652 $358,531 +$63,931 $2,616
NAICS 55 Management of companies and enterprises NAICS 55 3,495 $108,787 $373,923 +$79,323 $2,720
NAICS 53 Real estate and rental and leasing NAICS 53 3,256 $64,491 $209,038 −$85,562 $1,612
NAICS 71 Arts, entertainment, and recreation NAICS 71 2,040 $32,146 $88,639 −$205,961 $804
NAICS 22 Utilities NAICS 22 788 $163,780 $578,625 +$284,025 $4,095
NAICS 99 Unclassified NAICS 99 674 $61,480 $197,830 −$96,770 $1,537
NAICS 21 Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction NAICS 21 570 $103,364 $353,736 +$59,136 $2,584
NAICS 11 Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting NAICS 11 296 $47,400 $145,419 −$149,181 $1,185
Affordable home price assumes the industry's average earner uses 30% of gross income for housing, with a 30-year mortgage at 7%, 5% down, $2,500/yr taxes & insurance, and 0.5% PMI. Adjust the Section 3 calculator for other terms. Affordable rent is 30% of monthly gross pay.
Source: BLS QCEW Annual Averages, 2024; ACS 5-year 2024 (median home value).

Section 5

Wages by Occupation

Selected essential-worker occupations for the MSA or nonmetropolitan area containing this county — jobs, the 10-year change, wages, and the housing each typical earner can afford. Both jobs counts and wages are reported at the MSA / nonmetropolitan-area level (BLS does not publish OEWS at the county level), so every county inside the same area shows the same numbers. For county-accurate employment totals, see Section 4 above.

Occupational wages and affordable housing

Occupation 2025
jobs
2015–2025
change
%
change
Hourly
wage
Annual
wage
Affordable
home price
Affordable
monthly rent
Fast Food and Counter Workers SOC 35-3023 · prior-year code differs 7,190 (2,890) (29%) $17.06 $35,480 $101,049 $887
Cashiers SOC 41-2011 8,570 (2,020) (19%) $17.07 $35,510 $101,161 $888
Childcare Workers SOC 39-9011 2,420 120 5% $18.38 $38,220 $111,248 $956
Retail Salespersons SOC 41-2031 11,930 (2,530) (17%) $19.03 $39,590 $116,348 $990
Janitors and Cleaners SOC 37-2011 8,880 620 8% $19.38 $40,300 $118,991 $1,008
Home Health and Personal Care Aides SOC 31-1131 · prior-year code differs 4,200 (5,160) (55%) $20.07 $41,750 $124,388 $1,044
Tellers SOC 43-3071 880 (530) (38%) $20.38 $42,390 $126,770 $1,060
Office Clerks, General SOC 43-9061 6,860 (4,400) (39%) $23.26 $48,370 $149,030 $1,209
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General SOC 49-9071 4,970 980 25% $25.90 $53,880 $169,540 $1,347
Waiters and Waitresses SOC 35-3031 6,310 (300) (5%) $26.24 $54,580 $172,146 $1,365
Construction Laborers SOC 47-2061 2,700 (490) (15%) $29.04 $60,400 $193,810 $1,510
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers SOC 53-3032 4,830 560 13% $30.14 $62,690 $202,334 $1,567
Paramedics SOC 29-2043 · prior-year code differs 390 (610) (61%) $31.62 $65,760 $213,762 $1,644
Firefighters SOC 33-2011 480 230 92% $31.70 $65,930 $214,394 $1,648
Carpenters SOC 47-2031 2,000 (240) (11%) $31.98 $66,520 $216,591 $1,663
Electricians SOC 47-2111 1,820 (540) (23%) $36.70 $76,340 $253,144 $1,909
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers SOC 33-3051 1,770 (20) (1%) $37.04 $77,040 $255,750 $1,926
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education SOC 25-2021 3,550 110 3% $79,170 $263,678 $1,979
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters SOC 47-2152 1,470 60 4% $39.10 $81,330 $271,718 $2,033
Registered Nurses SOC 29-1141 10,230 610 6% $47.37 $98,530 $335,743 $2,463
Affordable home price uses the same Section 3 formula (30% housing budget, 30-year mortgage at 7%, 5% down, $2,500/yr T&I, 0.5% PMI). Affordable rent is 30% of monthly wages. Negative job-change values are shown in red parentheses. A "prior-year code differs" note flags occupations whose SOC code changed between the two vintages (2010 SOC → 2018 SOC) — the change estimate is best-effort.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (10-year change vs. May 2015). Jobs counts and wages reflect the MSA or nonmetropolitan area containing this county, not the county alone — OEWS is not published at the county level.
Methodology & sources

All figures derive from the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates. State and national comparisons are population-weighted aggregates of county-level estimates (an approximation; ACS publishes its own state and national medians which can differ slightly).

The affordability calculator uses a 30% housing-budget rule with a 30-year mortgage. Defaults are 7% interest, 5% down, $2,500/year taxes and insurance, and 0.5% PMI — adjustable above.

Variables: 36001 · pulled from Full Housing Data Table.xlsx.