County profile

Cayuga County

New York · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
75,102
Median household income
$67,904
People below poverty
13.5%
Median home value
$171,000

Income

The median income of households in Cayuga County, New York was $67,904. An estimated 5.8% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.5% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.8
$10,000 to $14,999 3.2
$15,000 to $24,999 8.7
$25,000 to $34,999 7.7
$35,000 to $49,999 11.1
$50,000 to $74,999 18
$75,000 to $99,999 13.8
$100,000 to $149,999 17.7
$150,000 to $199,999 7.4
$200,000 or more 6.5

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 62360
Female 53608

An estimated 71.2% of households received earnings. An estimated 40.2% of households received Social Security and an estimated 32.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,895. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 71.2
Social Security 40.2
Retirement income 32.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5
Cash public assistance income 3.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 13.5 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 17.3% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 13.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 13.5
Children under 18 years below poverty 17.3
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 13.2

In 2020-2024, 14.8 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 37.8% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 46.7% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 26.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024, 95.5% had health insurance coverage and 4.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 66% and public coverage was 46.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 3.5%.


In 2020-2024, Cayuga County, New York had a total population of 75,102 - 36,649 (48.8%) females and 38,453 (51.2%) males. The median age was 43.8 years. An estimated 19.3% of the population was under 18 years, 30.2% was 19 to 44 years, 27.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.3 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1906 1665
5 to 9 2055 1983
10 to 14 2159 1956
15 to 19 2238 2118
20 to 24 2133 1927
25 to 29 2574 2064
30 to 34 2490 2149
35 to 39 2684 1993
40 to 44 2247 2374
45 to 49 2130 1944
50 to 54 2490 2303
55 to 59 2687 2552
60 to 64 3087 3165
65 to 69 2507 2539
70 to 74 2246 2273
75 to 79 1464 1608
80 to 84 738 966
85 and over 618 1070

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 87.6% were White; 3.4% were Black or African American; 11.3% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.7% were Asian; 1.6% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 6.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.6% of the people in Cayuga County, New York were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 86.9% of the people in Cayuga County, New York were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 31,524 households in Cayuga County, New York. The average household size was 2.26 people.

Married-couple households made up 42.8% of the households in Cayuga County, New York while cohabiting couple households made up 11.1% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.4% of all households, while 19.6% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 14.5% of households were male householders living alone, and 17.1% were female householders living alone, for a total of 31.6% of all households.

In Cayuga County, New York, 25.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36.5% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 42.8
Cohabiting Couples 11.1
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.6
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.4

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.1% of males and 45.6% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 37.9 29.1
Now married, except separated 46.1 45.6
Separated 2.5 2.2
Widowed 3.3 10.8
Divorced 10.2 12.2

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Cayuga County, New York, 1,202 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 41.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 97.4% of the people living in Cayuga County, New York were U.S. natives. 85.6% of the Cayuga County, New York population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 2.6% of Cayuga County, New York residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 51.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 64.2 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Cayuga County, New York come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Cayuga County, New York.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 38.7
Asia 19.1
Europe 27.9
Africa 5.2
Northern America 8.9
Oceania 0.2

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024, 4 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 1.9% of people at least five years old; 1.7% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 1.9
Other Indo-European languages 1.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 89.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Cayuga County, New York were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 89.8
Different house, same county 5.2
Different county, same state 3.6
Different state 1.1
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 89.4 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 24.6% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 10.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Cayuga County, New York was 14,328 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 740 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 10,905. College or graduate school enrollment was 2,683.

Educational Attainment of People in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 10.6
High school diploma or equivalency 31.5
Some college, no degree 17.3
Associate's degree 16
Bachelor's degree 13.4
Graduate or professional degree 11.3

Disability

In Cayuga County, New York, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14.3 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.5% of people under 18 years old, to 11.6% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 29% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Cayuga County, New York, 55.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 41.9% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 74.5% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 19.8% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 5.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 25,942 74.5
Federal, state, or local government workers 6,903 19.8
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,960 5.6

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Cayuga County, New York worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 3.4
Construction 8.1
Manufacturing 13
Wholesale trade 1.7
Retail trade 11.3
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 4.4
Information 1.3
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3.6
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.4
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 28
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.5
Other Services, except public administration 4.4
Public administration 6.9

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 13,089 37.6
Service occupations 6,294 18.1
Sales and office occupations 6,415 18.4
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,486 10
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 5,555 15.9

Commuting to Work

An estimated 78.8% of Cayuga County, New York workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 22.8 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 78.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0.3
Walked 3.7
Other means 1.3
Worked from home 7.7

In 2020-2024, Cayuga County, New York had a total of 36,829 housing units. Of these housing units, 68.5% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 22.1% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 9.2% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 68.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 22.1
Mobile homes 9.2
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

4.6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 36.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Cayuga County, New York was 6.2 rooms, and of these housing units 64.5% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Cayuga County, New York had 31,524 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 5,305 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 71.4% while renters occupied 28.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.37 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.

3.7% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 17.3% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 9.1% and another 17.7% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Cayuga County, New York:

House Heating Fuel Used in Cayuga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 62.9
Electricity 15.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 12.7
All other fuels 8.7
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Cayuga County, New York was $171,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 53.1 % had a mortgage. 46.9% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,539 and for owners without a mortgage it was $669.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Cayuga County, New York was $942. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.