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COUNTY

Onondaga County

New York · 466,584 residents (2025 est.) · 778 sq mi
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The short version

With 471,129 people, Onondaga County is a county in New York. Few US counties rank higher on income. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $200,200. The average commute runs 20 minutes. The foreign-born share is 8%. 39% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $76,945, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.6
US median: 38.9
More educated
39% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 29%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Onondaga County

What changed most since 1990

  • Hispanic share1.3% → 5.9% (+4.6 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts

Among the 62 counties in New York

  • 21st in household income$76,945
  • 14th in share with a bachelor's degree39.2%
  • 28th in home value$200,200
  • 20th in diversity score54.6
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
471,129
+3%since 2000
from 458,336 in 2000
466,584 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
605 / sq mi
+3%since 2000
from 589 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
39.6
+9%since 2000
from 36.3 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
778 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
452K458K465K472K479K19902000201020202024Onondaga County
2024471K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.4%(25,388)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.7%(26,851)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.1%(28,938)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197.1%(33,463)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.7%(31,358)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413%(61,140)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.3%(58,057)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.4%(53,476)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6413.7%(64,472)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7410.9%(51,504)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.4%(25,341)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(11,141)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$76,945
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $40,847 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$43,166
+102%since 2000
from $21,336 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
51.3%
+19.9 ptssince 2009
from 31.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
13.8%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 12.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.464
+3%since 2010
from 0.453 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.6%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade8.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services6.3%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance5.7%
US avg: 5.9%
Wholesale trade5.1%
US avg: 6.9%
Public administration4.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.1%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services1.3%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.5%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$200,200
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $84,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,108
+11%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $550 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
65.9%
+1.5 ptssince 2000
from 64.5% in 2000
34.1% rent
Vacancy rate
6.7%
−2.6 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.26 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.40 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
17.6%
−5.6 ptssince 2009
from 23.2% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 47.1% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.6
+9%since 2009
from 2.4 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
51
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic83.7%(383,599)
Black9.1%(41,772)
Hispanic / Latino2.4%(11,175)
Asian2.1%(9,512)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic73.8%(347,603)
Black10.2%(48,051)
Hispanic / Latino5.9%(27,930)
Asian4.1%(19,309)
Other6%(28,236)
Diversity Score
55
+38%since 2009
from 39 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
44
−12%since 2020
from 49 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican2.7%(12,699)
Mexican0.6%(3,022)
South American0.6%(2,773)
Cuban0.6%(2,608)
Dominican0.4%(2,096)
Central American0.3%(1,634)
Colombian0.2%(1,021)
Spaniard0.2%(729)
Ecuadorian0.1%(578)
Guatemalan0.1%(490)
Salvadoran0.1%(368)
Venezuelan0.1%(284)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Bolivian0.1%(280)
Panamanian0.1%(259)
Peruvian0.1%(258)
Nicaraguan0%(213)
Chilean0%(198)
Argentine0%(154)
Honduran0%(152)
Asian origin
Chinese1.1%(5,400)
Asian Indian0.7%(3,457)
Burmese0.5%(2,278)
Vietnamese0.4%(1,871)
Filipino0.2%(1,034)
Korean0.2%(801)
Pakistani0.2%(735)
Nepalese0.2%(728)
Kazakh0.1%(471)
Bangladeshi0.1%(299)
Thai0%(190)
Sri Lankan0%(171)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0%(150)
Hmong0%(149)
Cambodian0%(137)
Taiwanese0%(132)
Bhutanese0%(126)
Laotian0%(101)
Mongolian0%(26)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(112)
Chamorro0%(20)
Ancestry
Irish17.7%(83,576)
Italian15.1%(71,172)
German14.2%(66,794)
English11.4%(53,707)
Polish5.8%(27,472)
American3.1%(14,724)
French3.1%(14,673)
Scottish1.4%(6,778)
Ukrainian1.4%(6,367)
Dutch1.2%(5,829)
Arab1.2%(5,607)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
French Canadian1.1%(5,414)
Russian0.7%(3,495)
West Indian0.7%(3,235)
Swedish0.6%(2,826)
Welsh0.6%(2,685)
Greek0.5%(2,450)
Scotch-Irish0.5%(2,383)
Jamaican0.4%(1,925)
Norwegian0.4%(1,879)
Swiss0.4%(1,688)
Austrian0.3%(1,479)
Hungarian0.3%(1,476)
British0.3%(1,277)
Somali0.3%(1,264)
Lebanese0.2%(1,035)
Canadian0.2%(976)
Slovak0.2%(930)
Lithuanian0.2%(923)
Czech0.2%(910)
Haitian0.2%(818)
Palestinian0.2%(816)
Danish0.2%(798)
Nigerian0.2%(775)
Portuguese0.1%(705)
Iraqi0.1%(698)
Syrian0.1%(687)
Armenian0.1%(676)
Kenyan0.1%(627)
Ethiopian0.1%(478)
Macedonian0.1%(460)
Finnish0.1%(441)
Turkish0.1%(404)
Latvian0.1%(316)
Croatian0.1%(314)
Ghanaian0.1%(310)
Romanian0.1%(294)
Brazilian0.1%(291)
Guyanese0.1%(291)
Iranian0.1%(289)
Egyptian0.1%(286)
Jordanian0%(228)
Serbian0%(204)
Slovene0%(191)
Israeli0%(179)
Belgian0%(142)
Bulgarian0%(80)
Moroccan0%(63)
Barbadian0%(35)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
39.2%
+10.7 ptssince 2000
from 28.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
91.8%
+6.2 ptssince 2000
from 85.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
17.6%
+5.6 ptssince 2000
from 11.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.2 min
+73%since 2000
from 11.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
71.7%
−8.2 ptssince 2009
from 79.9% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.6%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.1%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.1%
+10.1 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
3.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 4.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.4% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
12.0%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.8% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.2%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 6.7% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
62.4%
−1.6 ptssince 2011
from 64.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.5%
+2.1 ptssince 2020
from 75.4% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
17.9%
+1.7 ptssince 2009
from 16.2% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
48.1%
+9.3 ptssince 2009
from 38.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
51.4%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
7.9%
+1.8 ptssince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.5%
−4.7 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.0%
+2.6 ptssince 2012
from 11.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
3.3%
−5.2 ptssince 2013
from 8.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.6%
+13.8 ptssince 2017
from 77.8% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.2%
+5.4 ptssince 2020
from 89.8% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
86.4%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 85.9% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
88.7%
−0.9 ptssince 2016
from 89.6% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
3.2%
+0.1 ptssince 2016
from 3.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married39.5%(73,999)
Married47.9%(89,728)
Widowed2.7%(5,049)
Divorced9.9%(18,539)
Women 15+
Never married35.5%(71,838)
Married43.7%(88,602)
Widowed8.3%(16,824)
Divorced12.5%(25,373)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
3.3%
−5.2 ptssince 2013
from 8.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
58.9%
−4.0 ptssince 2020
from 62.9% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.1%
−2.2 ptssince 2020
from 15.3% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
20.1%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 19.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
25.1%
+2.8 ptssince 2020
from 22.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.2%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 2.4% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.2%
−4.5 ptssince 2020
from 73.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
41.9%
+3.4 ptssince 2020
from 38.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)22.5%(4,640)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)16.9%(3,490)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34%(7,007)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War7%(1,446)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.9%(179)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 20,619 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Onondaga County, decade by decade

Onondaga County population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
1990468,973$76,281$193,44624.4%26.1
2000458,336$74,409$154,65928.5%36.2
2010467,026$72,901$178,95832.0%44.7
2020476,516$75,956$179,50336.1%56.1
2024471,129$76,945$200,20039.2%54.6

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

Places similar to Onondaga County

Manatee County
Pop 468,200
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Pop 456,068
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Pop 440,072
Osceola County
Pop 481,718
Places similar to Onondaga County
Head to head

Compare Onondaga County to nearby counties

ONONDAGA COUNTY VS
Cayuga County
Income$67,904−12%
Home value$171,000−15%
Population74,365−84%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ONONDAGA COUNTY VS
Madison County
Income$75,499−2%
Home value$184,600−8%
Population67,120−86%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ONONDAGA COUNTY VS
Cortland County
Income$70,418−8%
Home value$162,100−19%
Population45,850−90%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
ONONDAGA COUNTY VS
Oswego County
Income$69,183−10%
Home value$151,700−24%
Population118,569−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Onondaga County, New York?

Onondaga County, New York has about 471,129 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Onondaga County, New York?

The typical household in Onondaga County, New York earns about $76,945 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Onondaga County, New York expensive?

In Onondaga County, New York, the median home is worth about $200,200, and the typical rent is about $1,108 a month.

How educated are people in Onondaga County, New York?

About 39.2% of adults age 25 and over in Onondaga County, New York hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Onondaga County, New York?

About 13.8% of people in Onondaga County, New York live below the federal poverty line.

Has Onondaga County, New York grown since 1990?

Yes, Onondaga County, New York has grown since 1990. The population has added about 2,156 residents, a change of about 0 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →