County profile

Sullivan 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
79,721
Median household income
$72,382
People below poverty
15.9%
Median home value
$249,000

Income

The median income of households in Sullivan County, New York was $72,382. An estimated 4.5% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 11.1% had income of $200,000 or more.

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

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Percent
Less than $10,000 4.5
$10,000 to $14,999 4.1
$15,000 to $24,999 7.1
$25,000 to $34,999 8.7
$35,000 to $49,999 10.2
$50,000 to $74,999 16.6
$75,000 to $99,999 12.9
$100,000 to $149,999 16.1
$150,000 to $199,999 8.7
$200,000 or more 11.1

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

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Dollars
Male 63089
Female 54089

An estimated 74.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 38.7% of households received Social Security and an estimated 27 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $23,244. 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 Sullivan County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 74.6
Social Security 38.7
Retirement income 27
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 6
Cash public assistance income 2.2

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 15.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 23.5% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11.8% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 14.4% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

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

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Percent
People in poverty 15.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 23.5
People 65 years old and over below poverty 11.8
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 14.4

In 2020-2024, 17.1 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 41.9% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 43.4% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 24.8% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Sullivan County, New York in 2020-2024, 94.5% had health insurance coverage and 5.5% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 60.4% and public coverage was 49.4%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 5.4%.


In 2020-2024, Sullivan County, New York had a total population of 79,721 - 38,342 (48.1%) females and 41,379 (51.9%) males. The median age was 41.7 years. An estimated 21.4% of the population was under 18 years, 30.3% was 19 to 44 years, 26.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 19.3 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 2514 2271
5 to 9 2393 2477
10 to 14 2446 2043
15 to 19 2449 2480
20 to 24 2475 2044
25 to 29 2302 2200
30 to 34 2784 2258
35 to 39 2560 1983
40 to 44 2651 2822
45 to 49 2529 2024
50 to 54 2762 2380
55 to 59 2723 2814
60 to 64 3243 2745
65 to 69 2707 2429
70 to 74 2017 2221
75 to 79 1210 1426
80 to 84 982 946
85 and over 632 779

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 69.9% were White; 9.2% were Black or African American; 3.9% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 2.1% were Asian; 4.2% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 10.4% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 19% of the people in Sullivan County, New York were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 66% of the people in Sullivan 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 31,434 households in Sullivan County, New York. The average household size was 2.39 people.

Married-couple households made up 41.9% of the households in Sullivan County, New York while cohabiting couple households made up 8.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 27.5% of all households, while 22.1% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 17.7% of households were male householders living alone, and 15.4% were female householders living alone, for a total of 33.1% of all households.

In Sullivan County, New York, 27.6% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 41.9
Cohabiting Couples 8.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
22.1
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
27.5

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 45.7% of males and 44.2% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 39.2 32.7
Now married, except separated 45.7 44.2
Separated 1.8 3.3
Widowed 3.4 10
Divorced 9.9 9.7

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Sullivan County, New York, 1,469 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 23.2% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 87% of the people living in Sullivan County, New York were U.S. natives. 69% of the Sullivan County, New York population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 13% of Sullivan County, New York residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 50.1% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 67.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

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

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

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Percent
Latin America 56.8
Asia 13.6
Europe 25.1
Africa 1.8
Northern America 2.4
Oceania 0.3

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Sullivan County, New York in 2020-2024, 22.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 12.9% of people at least five years old; 8.4% 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 Sullivan County, New York in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 12.9
Other Indo-European languages 6.8
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 1.2
Other languages 1.1

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 90.8 % of the people at least one year old living in Sullivan County, New York were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 90.8
Different house, same county 3.9
Different county, same state 3.8
Different state 1.1
Abroad 0.4

Education

In 2020-2024, 87.9 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 30.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 12.1% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Sullivan County, New York was 16,593 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 1,103 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 12,223. College or graduate school enrollment was 3,267.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 12.1
High school diploma or equivalency 29.8
Some college, no degree 18.1
Associate's degree 9.9
Bachelor's degree 17.2
Graduate or professional degree 12.9

Disability

In Sullivan County, New York, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 15.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 6.3% of people under 18 years old, to 14% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 32.6% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Sullivan County, New York, 55.5 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 41.1% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 73.7% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 18.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 7.7 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 26,355 73.7
Federal, state, or local government workers 6,595 18.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,757 7.7

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.4
Construction 6.5
Manufacturing 7.2
Wholesale trade 1.6
Retail trade 9.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.8
Information 2.1
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.9
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 9.1
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 29.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 9.8
Other Services, except public administration 5.1
Public administration 6.3

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 13,108 36.7
Service occupations 8,304 23.2
Sales and office occupations 6,750 18.9
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,450 9.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 4,135 11.6

Commuting to Work

An estimated 71.5% of Sullivan County, New York workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 9% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 71.5
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 9
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.3
Walked 2.9
Other means 2.1
Worked from home 13.2

In 2020-2024, Sullivan County, New York had a total of 49,994 housing units. Of these housing units, 75.2% 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"). 15.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 8.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 75.2
Apartments in multi-unit structures 15.9
Mobile homes 8.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

7.3% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 20.1% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Sullivan County, New York was 5.4 rooms, and of these housing units 60.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Sullivan County, New York had 31,434 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 18,560 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 67.4% while renters occupied 32.6%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.37 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.43.

4.4% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 8.6% and another 18.6% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 22.1
Electricity 20.4
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 48
All other fuels 9.1
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Sullivan County, New York was $249,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 45.8 % had a mortgage. 54.2% 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 $1,945 and for owners without a mortgage it was $847.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Sullivan County, New York was $1,106. 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.