12222 — Albany, New York
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 12222.
Residential permitting has slowed: 236 units authorized over the past twelve months, 33% below the prior year.
Housing costs more relative to local incomes than in most published city profiles, with rent taking 45% of median household income.
Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published ZIP profiles, placing 12222 in the top 5% for physical resilience.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment of 4.5% is lower than 51% of the 4,387 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment fell 0.4% over the past year, to 50,467 employed residents.
81% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 99% of measured US ZIP areas.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income ±$30,896 | $59,274 | Bottom 28% | 2023 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,206 | $6,752 | Bottom 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 0.0% | Bottom 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute | 17.9 min | Bottom 8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 81.4% | Top 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Employment | 50,467 | Top 47% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years) | -1.0% | Bottom 34% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -0.4% | Top 36% | June 2026 |
| Labor force | 52,847 | Top 47% | June 2026 |
| Labor force participation | 37.3% | Bottom 7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wage | $71,830 | Top 32% | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wage | $58,460 | Top 20% | 2025 OEWS |
| Unemployment change (year over year) | 0.5% | Top 33% | June 2026 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.5% | Bottom 49% | June 2026 |
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 13,180 | $37,590 |
| Retail Salespersons | 11,930 | $35,420 |
| Registered Nurses | 10,230 | $99,970 |
| General and Operations Managers | 8,890 | $111,130 |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 8,880 | $37,810 |
| Cashiers | 8,570 | $34,290 |
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Albany, NY, the city containing this ZIP code.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated →Median rent of $2,242 takes 45% of median household income, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.
| Metric | Value | Compared with peers | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership rate | 0.0% | Bottom 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±66 | 112 | Bottom 12% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent ±$93 | $2,242 | Top 5% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income | 45.4% | Top 1% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate | 13.4% | Top 42% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated →An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
At 2.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Albany, NY, the city containing this ZIP code.
Weather & climate
5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 84°F and January a low of 16°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 40.7 inches, including 59.2 inches of snow.
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 40.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall | 59.2" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 16°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high | 84°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing | 49°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, earthquake and heat wave.
Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, lightning, tornado, strong wind, cold wave, hail, winter weather, avalanche, wildfire.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Taxes
AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.
Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.
Access
5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 5 miles away.
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany Intl | ALB | 5 mi | 8,500 ft |
| Westfield-Barnes Rgnl | BAF | 67 mi | 9,000 ft |
| Bradley Intl | BDL | 78 mi | 9,510 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle | 28-day NASR cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) | Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current) |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals | Every ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period) |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | June 2026 | Monthly |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS | Annual (spring release) |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate | Annual (vintage released each spring) |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 | Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month |
| Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2023 ACS 5-Year; 2024 ACS 5-Year | Annual (5-year estimates released each December) |
Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.
12222 vs Albany
How this ZIP area compares with Albany as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.