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Schenectady, New York

Schenectady is a small city of about 69,000 people in Schenectady County, New York. It's the county seat. It has grown about 4% since 2020. A typical home costs about 2.9 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Hartford, is about 96 miles away as the crow flies.

County seatSmall city

Population
69,471
up 3.8% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$168,800
Schenectady County prices up 25% since 2022
Household income
$58,399
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Albany area
99.6
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
In town
Ellis Hospital
To Hartford
96 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 0.4% below the U.S. average in the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.9 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood489 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 27.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town32 public schools: 21 elementary, 7 middle and 4 high schools.
  • A hospital close byEllis Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityHartford is about 96 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Schenectady meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024
$168,800U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 25%Schenectady County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,145 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$58,399U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
46%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$4,874 a yearNew York: $6,582
Homes built before 1940
49%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
99.6U.S. average = 100 (the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 25% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area, not Schenectady alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
69,4712020: 66,931
Median age
36.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
15%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
20%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
25%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
9%U.S.: 6%
College students
10%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Schools, health care and social services (28%); professional and business services (13%); retail (13%)
Unemployment rate
9%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
11%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
24%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Ellis Hospital, Schenectady, NY, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

32 public schools in Schenectady, run by Schenectady City School District and Niskayuna Central School District.

Colleges in or next to town: Union College (1,000 to 4,999 students); Schenectady County Community College (1,000 to 4,999 students); Belanger School of Nursing (under 1,000 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on New York's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet
75%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
86%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
16°F
July average high
84°F
Days 90°F or hotter
10 a year
Nights at or below freezing
136 a year
Rain and melted snow
40.7 inches a year
Snow
59 inches a year
Elevation
343 feet

Weather station: Albany Ap (7 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Albany, Hartford.

Schenectady County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

39 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including General Electric Research Laboratory, the Irving Langmuir House, the Nott Memorial Hall and General Electric Realty Plot. Three are National Historic Landmarks, the country's highest honor for a historic place.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Saratoga National Historical Park18 miles
  • Martin Van Buren National Historic Site32 miles
  • Appalachian National Scenic Trail39 miles

Campus life. Check Union College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Schenectady's history on Wikipedia.

Know Schenectady?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Clifton Gardens, NY (unincorporated)2,420 people, 8 miles
  • Duane Lake, NY (unincorporated)236 people, 10 miles
  • Mariaville Lake, NY (unincorporated)1,085 people, 10 miles
  • Round Lake, NY849 people, 11 miles
  • Delanson, NY306 people, 13 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.