• county
  • FIPS 36083
  • Largest town: Troy

Rensselaer County, New York

Rensselaer County had 160,749 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 652.5 square miles of land. It ranks 22nd of 62 in New York by population and 32nd by land area.

Population
160,749
#22 of 62 in New York · #434 in US
Area
652.5 sq mi
#32 of 62 in New York · #1,443 in US
Density
246 / sq mi
#21 of 62 in New York · #501 in US
Median household income
$82,846
#12 of 62 in New York · #375 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Rensselaer County within New York. Pin: Albany.

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Rensselaer County population, land area and income

Rensselaer County had 160,749 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 652.5 square miles of land. It ranks 22nd of 62 in New York by population and 32nd by land area. That works out to 246.4 people per square mile, 2.6 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in New York has 85,936 residents; Rensselaer County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $82,846 is in the top quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

160,749

3144th1st

434th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

652 sq mi

3144th1st

1443rd of 3,144 (US)

Density

246.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

501st of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$82,846

3143rd1st

375th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within New York (62)

Population

160,749

62nd1st

22nd of 62 (NY)

Land area

652 sq mi

62nd1st

32nd of 62 (NY)

Density

246.4 / sq mi

62nd1st

21st of 62 (NY)

Median household income

$82,846

62nd1st

12th of 62 (NY)

How Rensselaer County's population changed since 2020

Rensselaer County lost 139 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 0.1%. That ranks 23rd of 62 in New York for growth. The median New York county changed by -0.8%, and the state as a whole by -1.2%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Rensselaer County recorded 6,391 births and 7,251 deaths, a natural change of -860. Net international migration added +2,427 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -2,021. The largest single component was international migration, which added 2,427 people.

160.9k2020160.6k2021159.5k2022159.8k2023160.7k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
6,391
Deaths
7,251
Net international migration
+2,427
Net domestic migration
-2,021
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+903

Where Rensselaer County is

The Census internal point of Rensselaer County is at 42.710400, -73.513800. It sits in UTM zone 18N. The map shades New York's 62 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Rensselaer County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Tompkins County: +5.8%Yates County: -1.3%Suffolk County: +0.9%Broome County: -0.9%Cortland County: -1.7%Fulton County: -2.0%Ulster County: +0.9%Rockland County: +3.2%Essex County: -1.5%Westchester County: +0.5%Niagara County: -1.2%Dutchess County: +1.4%Seneca County: -2.6%Onondaga County: -0.9%Tioga County: -1.6%Erie County: -0.2%Wayne County: -0.5%Delaware County: -0.1%Greene County: -1.8%Schenectady County: +1.9%Allegany County: -0.1%Rensselaer County: -0.1%Monroe County: -0.7%Warren County: -0.5%Livingston County: -0.1%Madison County: -1.3%Jefferson County: -2.5%Sullivan County: +2.5%Lewis County: +0.0%Oswego County: +0.7%Putnam County: +0.8%New York County: -1.1%Columbia County: -1.8%St. Lawrence County: -2.0%Schuyler County: -4.1%Franklin County: -0.3%Steuben County: -1.4%Cayuga County: -2.1%Oneida County: -1.2%Chemung County: -3.1%Herkimer County: -0.7%Schoharie County: +1.3%Cattaraugus County: -2.0%Chautauqua County: -2.6%Chenango County: -2.8%Hamilton County: +0.2%Orange County: +2.7%Washington County: -2.1%Ontario County: +0.6%Bronx County: -5.1%Wyoming County: -1.5%Clinton County: -2.3%Orleans County: -1.0%Montgomery County: +0.3%Nassau County: +0.1%Kings County: -3.6%Genesee County: -1.2%Otsego County: +3.7%Albany County: +1.9%Queens County: -3.1%Richmond County: +0.6%Saratoga County: +1.9%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -2.0%
  2. < -1.2%
  3. < -0.2%
  4. < +0.7%
  5. ≥ +0.7%
no data

Orange pin: Rensselaer County internal point. Dark pin: Albany.

Internal point

Decimal
42.710400, -73.513800
DMS
42°42'37.44"N 73°30'49.68"W
UTM
18N 621706.2E 4729726.8N
Geohash
dredzphyh
Plus code
87J8PF6P+5F

Towns in Rensselaer County

5 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Rensselaer County, 66,270 people together, or 41% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Rensselaer County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Troy with 51,065.

  1. 01Troy51,065
  2. 02Rensselaer9,453
  3. 03Hoosick Falls3,190
  4. 04Castleton-on-Hudson1,471
  5. 05Nassau1,091
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Rensselaer County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Rensselaer County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Albany County, NY, with 319,964 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Albany and the nearest big city

Albany is 13.0 miles WSW of Rensselaer County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Albany, NY (population 101,317), 14.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Troy, NY (population 51,065), 8.4 miles away.

Rensselaer County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Rensselaer County is 36083: state code 36 for New York plus county code 083. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $82,846.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Rensselaer County, New York?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 160,749. That is down 139 people (0.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 160,888.

What is the FIPS code of Rensselaer County?

36083. The first two digits (36) are New York; the last three (083) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Rensselaer County?

Troy, with 51,065 residents inside Rensselaer County in 2024.

Which counties border Rensselaer County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Albany County, NY; Saratoga County, NY; Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County, NY; Washington County, NY; Greene County, NY; Bennington County, VT.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.