Syracuse, New York

Area Profile

146,384 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Syracuse, in Onondaga County.

59out of 100
Area Score
Top 49% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
Opportunity3,449th of 4,199 cities measured40
Schools3,608th of 4,162 cities measured21
GrowthTop 9% of 4,224 cities measured75
Housing affordabilityTop 49% of 4,218 cities measured67
Climate3,515th of 4,225 cities measured61
Physical resilienceTop 12% of 4,226 cities measured89
AccessTop 21% of 4,226 cities measured98
Economic stability3,985th of 4,226 cities measured26
The quick read

Employment conditions sit below most comparable cities measured: unemployment is 5.4% and the Opportunity signal places Syracuse in the bottom 18%.

In the public schools here, 41% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 12.2 students for every teacher.

Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 1,286 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, against 227 the year before.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
146,384
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$47,819
Bottom 19% nationally
Density
5,842/sq mi
25.1 sq mi of land
Median age
31.8
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
New York
Metro area
Nearest major airport
SYR
5 mi · Syracuse Hancock Intl
Median home value
$138,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 5.4% — higher than in all but 15% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 0.2% over the past year, to 61,758 employed residents.

31% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 71% of measured US cities.

Median household income of $47,819 is lower than in 81% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsOnondaga County, NY’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$63,56034th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftOnondaga County, NY’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$70,87048th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$2,1452024 ACS 5-Year$47,819Bottom 19%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$9552024 ACS 5-Year$28,393Bottom 31%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year27.5%Bottom 12%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year19.5 minTop 16%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year31.2%Top 29%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year58.5%11th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202661,758Top 50%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+0.2%Top 42%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−0.2%Top 38%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202665,27850th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year73.7%Bottom 35%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageSyracuse, NY Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$67,470Bottom 48%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageSyracuse, NY Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$52,990Top 42%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year6.3%97th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.3%Bottom 25%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20265.4%Bottom 15%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year12.0%68th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/077.13.4
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 5.4% in July 2026. It has been rising, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. 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

202120222023202448k40k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $47,819 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 — Syracuse, NY

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides8,310$37,440
Registered Nurses8,180$86,960
Retail Salespersons8,150$35,250
Fast Food and Counter Workers6,750$33,940
Stockers and Order Fillers6,640$38,950
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand6,390$44,660

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

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.

41% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 44% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 12.2 students for every full-time teacher across 36 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
37
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
12.2
across 36 of them
Math proficiency
40.9%
Bottom 3% in New York
Reading proficiency
43.6%
Bottom 5% in New York
The 12 largest of 37 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Henninger High SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT1,48313.469%73%
Nottingham High SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT1,35015.272%83%
Corcoran High SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT1,33815.272%82%
Public Service Leadership Academy at FowlerSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT1,12612.962%62%
Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School · charterSYRACUSE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE CHARTER SCHOOL99316.895%95%
Huntington K-8 SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT93413.326%20%
Hurlbut W Smith K-8 SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT77612.918%25%
Frazer K-8 SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT77410.511%16%
Citizenship and Science Academy of Syracuse Charter School · charterCITIZENSHIP AND SCIENCE ACADEMY OF SYRACUSE CHARTER SCHOOL76416.6——
Dr Weeks Elementary SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT71114.517%16%
Edward Smith K-8 SchoolSYRACUSE CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT69710.326%33%
Southside Academy Charter School · charterSOUTHSIDE ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL68520.1——

76.9% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against New York’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 4% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 95.7, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Syracuse, NY Metro Area is up 64% over five years, and up 6.1% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $3,210 a year in real estate taxes, about 2.32% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,392, some 34% above the $1,039 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,392 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $55,700 a year, about 116% of the median household income here of $47,819.

The typical renter household here spends 33% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,039 a month.

A median home at $138,400 costs 1.8 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $75,856, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
95.7

Prices here run about 4% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Syracuse, NY Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
32.9%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
1.8×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,392
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,039
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$138,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Syracuse’s median household income of $47,819, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Syracuse, NY Metro Area’s figure202395.7Top 30%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Syracuse, NY Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+6.1%88th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Syracuse, NY Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+64.1%98th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Syracuse, NY Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+114.6%82nd percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year1.8Top 26%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year41.6%5th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±8102024 ACS 5-Year67,60199th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,123Top 32%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,691Top 28%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,392Top 35%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$202024 ACS 5-Year$1,039Bottom 44%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$5,1582024 ACS 5-Year$138,40034th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1052024 ACS 5-Year$3,21075th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,4532024 ACS 5-Year$75,856Bottom 46%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.12%2024 ACS 5-Year2.32%96th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year32.9%Bottom 27%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±1942024 ACS 5-Year50097th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.7%59th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year10.8%67th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±5802024 ACS 5-Year7,78599th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

75/ 100
Top 9% of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been rising for the last 3 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

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 fallen 1% since 2020, to 146,097 in 2024.

Permit activity rose in each of the 3 calendar years through 2025.

98% of the 1,286 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses.

Federal tax returns show Onondaga County, which contains Syracuse, lost about 0.6% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $63,560, below the $70,870 of households that moved out.

At 8.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
1,286
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
8.8
Top 14% nationally
Year over year
+467%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
98.4%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024147k146k
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. It has been holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.6%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
48%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$63,560
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$70,870
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Oswego County, NY 1,188 people · 10% of arrivals
  2. Madison County, NY 587 people · 5.0% of arrivals
  3. Oneida County, NY 495 people · 4.2% of arrivals
  4. Cayuga County, NY 462 people · 3.9% of arrivals
  5. Monroe County, NY 368 people · 3.1% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Oswego County, NY 1,472 people · 10% of departures
  2. Madison County, NY 736 people · 5.2% of departures
  3. Cayuga County, NY 567 people · 4.0% of departures
  4. Monroe County, NY 384 people · 2.7% of departures
  5. Oneida County, NY 367 people · 2.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Onondaga County, NY. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

2020202120222023202420251k11
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was higher than 2020 (+10445%).

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 17°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 39.9 inches, including 127.8 inches of snow.

Air quality measures a median index of 35, in the Good band, and no day in the year passed 100.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station SYRACUSE HANCOCK INTL AP, 5.2 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND3.9"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year532024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals39.9"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals127.8"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals17°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year02024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year352024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals48°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
35
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
53
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. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

89 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, strong wind and tornado, with inland flooding alone responsible for 75% of it. Inland flooding and tornado are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 88% of measured US cities.

Strong windModerate
Ice stormModerate
Heat waveModerate
HurricaneModerate

Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, inland flooding, lightning, tornado, earthquake, hail, cold wave, landslide, wildfire, avalanche, drought, volcanic activity, tsunami, coastal flooding.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
612
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
3,217
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Syracuse's police department reported 612 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 3,217.

Onondaga County records 4.1 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 8.8 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 21.2 per 100,000 residents in Onondaga County.

Homicide
4.1
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
8.8
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
21.2
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
12.0
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Syracuse’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Syracuse (Onondaga County) rather than Syracuse itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Syracuse Hancock Intl at 5 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year88.1%Bottom 43%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle5 miTop 9%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 38%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year8.2%Bottom 46%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Syracuse Hancock IntlSYR5 mi9,013 ft
Griffiss IntlRME39 mi11,820 ft
Elmira/Corning RgnlELM72 mi8,001 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
59
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Other cities in Syracuse, NY

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
OswegoOswego County17,03356Oswego vs Syracuse
FultonOswego County11,27254Fulton vs Syracuse
De WittOnondaga County11,06076De Witt vs Syracuse
OneidaMadison County10,17156

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Syracuse side by side with a similar place.

Syracuse vs ElkhartSyracuse vs Kokomo

Moving to Syracuse from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 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 every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Syracuse

10 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Syracuse with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Syracuse closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
1320822,993$44,712$123,60056
1321019,803$41,738$173,60060
1320419,440$45,351$113,00060
1320519,137$38,497$99,000—
1320616,245$63,136$148,700—
1320316,180$46,997$156,900—
1321514,751$113,864$304,900—
1320712,290$60,720$123,800—
132248,659$76,500$218,900—
132027,098$27,000$88,500—