County profile

Onondaga 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
471,129
Median household income
$76,945
People below poverty
13.8%
Median home value
$200,200

Income

The median income of households in Onondaga County, New York was $76,945. An estimated 5.9% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 10.7% had income of $200,000 or more.

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

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Percent
Less than $10,000 5.9
$10,000 to $14,999 3.4
$15,000 to $24,999 6.7
$25,000 to $34,999 7.1
$35,000 to $49,999 10.1
$50,000 to $74,999 15.5
$75,000 to $99,999 13.2
$100,000 to $149,999 17.8
$150,000 to $199,999 9.6
$200,000 or more 10.7

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

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Dollars
Male 71054
Female 61027

An estimated 75.1% of households received earnings. An estimated 34.1% of households received Social Security and an estimated 28.2 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $24,409. 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 Onondaga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 75.1
Social Security 34.1
Retirement income 28.2
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.9
Cash public assistance income 3.3

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 13.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 20.6% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 10.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.5% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

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

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Percent
People in poverty 13.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 20.6
People 65 years old and over below poverty 10.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.5

In 2020-2024, 14.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 39.4% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 39.6% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 32.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Onondaga County, New York in 2020-2024, 96.7% had health insurance coverage and 3.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 69.2% and public coverage was 41.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 1.9%.


In 2020-2024, Onondaga County, New York had a total population of 471,129 - 242,369 (51.4%) females and 228,760 (48.6%) males. The median age was 39.6 years. An estimated 20.9% of the population was under 18 years, 32% was 19 to 44 years, 25.1% was 45 to 64 years, and 18.7 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 12888 12500
5 to 9 13484 13367
10 to 14 15073 13865
15 to 19 16544 16919
20 to 24 15403 15955
25 to 29 14809 15194
30 to 34 15411 15726
35 to 39 15062 15509
40 to 44 13506 13980
45 to 49 12181 12878
50 to 54 13888 14529
55 to 59 14519 16047
60 to 64 16828 17078
65 to 69 13162 14639
70 to 74 11278 12425
75 to 79 6890 9073
80 to 84 4049 5329
85 and over 3785 7356

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 74.8% were White; 10.8% were Black or African American; 6.2% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 4.1% were Asian; 5% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 7.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.9% of the people in Onondaga County, New York were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 73.8% of the people in Onondaga 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 197,760 households in Onondaga County, New York. The average household size was 2.26 people.

Married-couple households made up 40.8% of the households in Onondaga County, New York while cohabiting couple households made up 8.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 30.5% of all households, while 20.3% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 15.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 18.7% were female householders living alone, for a total of 34% of all households.

In Onondaga County, New York, 25.3% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 32.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 40.8
Cohabiting Couples 8.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
20.3
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
30.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 46.3% of males and 41.8% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 39.5 35.5
Now married, except separated 46.3 41.8
Separated 1.6 1.9
Widowed 2.7 8.3
Divorced 9.9 12.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Onondaga County, New York, 6,497 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 43.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 92.1% of the people living in Onondaga County, New York were U.S. natives. 75.1% of the Onondaga County, New York population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 7.9% of Onondaga County, New York residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 55.5% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 56.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Onondaga 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 Onondaga County, New York.

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

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Percent
Latin America 17.2
Asia 42.3
Europe 21.7
Africa 14.8
Northern America 3.9
Oceania 0.1

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Onondaga County, New York in 2020-2024, 11.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3.2% of people at least five years old; 4.4% 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 Onondaga County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 3.2
Other Indo-European languages 3.5
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 2.5
Other languages 2.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 86.4 % of the people at least one year old living in Onondaga County, New York were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 86.4
Different house, same county 7.6
Different county, same state 2.6
Different state 2.6
Abroad 0.8

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.8 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 39.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.2% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Onondaga County, New York was 117,574 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 6,386 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 70,987. College or graduate school enrollment was 40,201.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.2
High school diploma or equivalency 23.7
Some college, no degree 16.4
Associate's degree 12.5
Bachelor's degree 21.6
Graduate or professional degree 17.6

Disability

In Onondaga County, New York, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 14 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 5.7% of people under 18 years old, to 12.3% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 29.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Onondaga County, New York, 59 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 37.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.6 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 174,099 76.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 41,607 18.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 10,417 4.6

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 0.6
Construction 5.1
Manufacturing 8.3
Wholesale trade 2.1
Retail trade 10.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.7
Information 1.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 6.3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 11.3
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 33
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 7.1
Other Services, except public administration 4.4
Public administration 3.7

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 108,881 48.1
Service occupations 35,972 15.9
Sales and office occupations 44,264 19.6
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 12,573 5.6
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 24,712 10.9

Commuting to Work

An estimated 71.7% of Onondaga County, New York workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 7.6% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 20.2 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 71.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 7.6
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 2.1
Walked 3.6
Other means 1.8
Worked from home 13.1

In 2020-2024, Onondaga County, New York had a total of 212,002 housing units. Of these housing units, 67.9% 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"). 31% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 1.1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 67.9
Apartments in multi-unit structures 31
Mobile homes 1.1
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

5.4% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 22.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Onondaga County, New York was 6 rooms, and of these housing units 62.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Onondaga County, New York had 197,760 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 14,242 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 65.9% while renters occupied 34.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.43 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.95.

4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 13.6% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 12% and another 13.2% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 72.9
Electricity 21
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 3
All other fuels 2.3
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Onondaga County, New York was $200,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 60.1 % had a mortgage. 39.9% 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 $1,641 and for owners without a mortgage it was $708.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Onondaga County, New York was $1,108. 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.