Saratoga County, NY

County Profile

238,284 residents. Safety, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Saratoga County, NY.

Several figures AreaProfile publishes are measured by county and nowhere finer — death rates by intent among them. On this page those describe the geography they are printed on, which is not true of the city and ZIP pages that inherit them.

79out of 100
Area Score
Top 3% of 1,225 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 11% of 1,255 counties measured79
SchoolsTop 2% of 973 counties measured92
Growth625th of 1,226 counties measured50
Housing affordabilityTop 44% of 1,255 counties measured95
Climate1119th of 1,254 counties measured56
Physical resilienceTop 5% of 1,255 counties measured92
AccessTop 36% of 1,255 counties measured87
Economic stabilityTop 15% of 1,255 counties measured85
The quick read

Saratoga County ranks in the top 11% of published profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.0% and median household income of $100,787.

983 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 11% of the prior year — steady rather than turning.

Natural-hazard exposure is lower than in most comparable published profiles, placing Saratoga County in the top 5% for physical resilience.

At a glance

Population
238,284
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$100,787
Top 5% nationally
Density
294/sq mi
810.0 sq mi of land
Median age
43.6
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Saratoga County
New York
Metro area
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Nearest major airport
ALB
25 mi · Albany Intl
Median home value
$348,600
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.0% is lower than 94% of the 1,255 measured US locations.

Employment fell 0.5% over the past year, to 123,599 employed residents.

45% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 95% of measured US locations.

Household income is higher than at least 95% of measured US locations.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$3,028$100,787Top 5%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$1,518$57,380Top 3%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate7.1%Bottom 7%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute26.9 minTop 42%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher45.4%Top 5%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Employment123,599Top 22%of 1,255June 2026
Employment change (3 years)-0.3%Bottom 42%of 1,255June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.5%Top 44%of 1,255June 2026
Labor force127,438Top 22%of 1,255June 2026
Labor force participation65.2%Top 17%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)0.3%Top 37%of 1,255June 2026
Unemployment rate3.0%Bottom 6%of 1,255June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032025/102026/064.12.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.0% in June 2026. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.
Median household income, successive ACS releases
2021202220232024101k91k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $100,787 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.
Largest occupations — Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides13,180$37,590
Retail Salespersons11,930$35,420
Registered Nurses10,230$99,970
General and Operations Managers8,890$111,130
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners8,880$37,810
Cashiers8,570$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.

54% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 65% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.2 students for every full-time teacher, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
50
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.2
across all schools here
Math proficiency
54.2%
Top 6% in New York
Reading proficiency
65.0%
Top 9% in New York
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
SHENENDEHOWA HIGH SCHOOLSHENENDEHOWA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT2,96813.6
SARATOGA SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOLSARATOGA SPRINGS CITY SD1,84712.8
MAPLE AVENUE MIDDLE SCHOOLSARATOGA SPRINGS CITY SD1,42613.137%67%
BALLSTON SPA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLBALLSTON SPA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT1,30011.9
BURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLBURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT96510.4
SOUTH GLENS FALLS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLSOUTH GLENS FALLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT93914.4
BALLSTON SPA MIDDLE SCHOOLBALLSTON SPA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT88310.027%62%
KODA MIDDLE SCHOOLSHENENDEHOWA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT76513.747%72%
GOWANA MIDDLE SCHOOLSHENENDEHOWA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT76413.252%77%
ACADIA MIDDLE SCHOOLSHENENDEHOWA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT76112.352%77%
MECHANICVILLE JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLMECHANICVILLE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT71712.645%45%
OLIVER W WINCH MIDDLE SCHOOLSOUTH GLENS FALLS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT63112.927%52%

29.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with rather than how the schools perform, which is why AreaProfile shows it and does not score it.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data. Schools are placed by ZIP code, so this is which schools are in this place rather than which one a particular address is zoned for — district boundaries do not follow municipal ones, and enrollment zones change. Fully virtual schools are excluded: they enroll students from across the state while reporting one administrative address, and counting them here would describe a school population this place does not have. The assessment covers grades 3 through 8, so a high school shows no proficiency figure — a dash in those columns means the test was not given at that school, not that it performed badly. Proficiency is measured against New York’s own standard, so it compares cleanly within the state and only broadly against other states; AreaProfile therefore ranks it within state. The directory is current, while the proficiency figures are from the last school year with national coverage before the pandemic interrupted testing.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,394 takes 17% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 3.5 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
16.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.5×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,394
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$348,600
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price to income3.46Top 32%of 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate72.3%Bottom 39%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±101112,109Top 9%of 3,2222024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$26$1,394Top 10%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$4,655$348,600Top 13%of 3,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income16.6%Bottom 44%of 3,2162024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate9.1%Bottom 25%of 3,2222024 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 →
Development Momentum
50/ 100
Ranks 625 of 1,226 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2020 to 2025.

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.

Population has grown 2% since 2020, reaching 240,360 in 2024.

Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before.

At 4.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US locations.

Units permitted
983
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.1
Top 37% nationally
Year over year
−11%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
23.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
20202021202220232024240k236k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.
Housing units permitted per year
2020202120222023202420251k882
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−13%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 10°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 38.2 inches.

Air quality measures a median index of 32, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.

0°20°40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station GLENS FALLS AP, 20.7 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index44.02024 calendar year
Annual precipitation38.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low10°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 10002024 calendar year
Median air quality index32.02024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing50°F1991-2020 Normals
Air quality
Median air quality index
32
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
44
90th percentile index
Days above 100
0
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

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. Air quality is measured rather than modelled, by EPA monitors, and published by county only where a monitor sits — roughly half the counties AreaProfile publishes have one, and the rest show nothing rather than an estimate. Air masses are regional, so a county reading describes the air over a place reasonably well, but it is still the county reading.

Physical risk

92 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, cold wave and earthquake.

Ice stormModerate
HurricaneModerate
EarthquakeModerate
Heat waveModerate
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: inland flooding, lightning, tornado, strong wind, landslide, hail, winter weather, wildfire, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA National Risk Index county record. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

These are deaths, not offences. AreaProfile does not publish reported crime, and this is not a substitute for it — it says nothing about burglary, theft or assault.

Saratoga County records 1.6 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, lower than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 9.2 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, because nationally most firearm deaths are suicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 4.2 per 100,000 residents in Saratoga County.

Homicide
1.6
per 100,000 residents · under 10 deaths
Firearm deaths, all intents
9.2
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
4.2
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
15.1
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides. The two columns overlap and should not be added.

Age-adjusted rates from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC for Saratoga County as a whole — these rates are not published below county level. A county can hold both a dense city centre and a suburb whose experience of it is nothing alike, so this describes the county around Saratoga County rather than Saratoga County itself. That is why AreaProfile shows these figures and does not put them in the Area Score. Where fewer than ten deaths were recorded the count is suppressed at source, and a rate built on single figures moves sharply between releases. What this measure has that reported crime does not: a death certificate is filed whether or not the local police agency submitted a return that year, so the figures stay comparable between places and over time.

What this profile does not cover

Three things people look for are missing from every AreaProfile page, and each is missing for a reason rather than by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Reported crime
The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer is the only source for reported offences with national coverage and a published method, and it requires an API key AreaProfile does not hold. Arrest counts, news volume and commercial “safety scores” are not substituted in the meantime. What is published above under Safety is a different measurement — deaths rather than offences, from death certificates rather than police returns — and it covers no property crime at all.
Taxes
No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, transparent methodology and update cadence. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Full cost of living
No public source publishes one with national coverage and a documented method. Housing affordability above is computed from published rent, price and income, and excludes transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes — commuting cost in particular tends to offset suburban housing savings.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 25 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Albany IntlALB25 mi8,500 ft
Griffiss IntlRME79 mi11,820 ft
Westfield-Barnes RgnlBAF87 mi9,000 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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Area Score
79
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)
safetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
April, 2025 to March, 2026Quarterly, with a rolling twelve-month window alongside complete calendar years
schoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2019-20 school year; 2024-25 school yearDirectory annually; assessment results as EDFacts releases them
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar yearAnnually, once a calendar year is complete

Profile recalculated August 30, 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.

Cities in Saratoga County, NY