Rensselaer County, New York: commercial real estate data.
Rensselaer County, New York had an estimated 160,749 residents on July 1, 2024, down 0.2 percent since the 2020 census base of 161,130, across 652 square miles. County output reached $15.51 bn in 2024, 2,985 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 144 7(a) approvals worth $36.4 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Rensselaer County
How many people live in Rensselaer County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024160,332
- Households66,686
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$87,915
- Median age40.1
- Median gross rent$1,217 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$258,400
- Home value to household income2.9 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income16.6 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher37.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree15.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over113,756
- Population under 1830,562
- Share under 1819.1 percent
- Population 65 and over29,330
- Share 65 and over18.3 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64100,440
- Civilian labor force84,561
- Unemployment rate5.3 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over65.2 percent
- Rank by population among New York counties22nd of 62
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included433rd of 3,222
Rensselaer County is the 22nd largest of 62 New York counties by population. A median home costs 2.9 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 19.1 percent against 18.3 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Rensselaer County
Is Rensselaer County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024160,749
- Census 2020 base population161,130
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.24 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024903
- Births, 20241,502
- Deaths, 20241,620
- Natural change, 2024-118
- Net domestic migration, 202421
- Net international migration, 2024994
- Total net migration, 20241,015
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-1,774
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents1934th of 3,144
The county has lost 0.24 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Rensselaer County
Where are people moving to Rensselaer County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving4,787
- People arriving, from those returns7,201
- Tax returns filed by households leaving5,134
- Net household movement-347
- Adjusted gross income arriving$286.9 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-49.3 m
- Average income of an arriving household$59,927
- Average income of a leaving household$65,478
- Largest single originAlbany County (1,721 households)
- Largest single destinationAlbany County (1,588 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albany County | 1,721 | 2,622 | $97.4 m |
| Saratoga County | 474 | 698 | $26.7 m |
| Schenectady County | 304 | 478 | $20.9 m |
| Columbia County | 206 | 331 | $13.7 m |
| Washington County | 87 | 141 | $4.0 m |
| Greene County | 70 | 101 | $3.6 m |
| Kings County | 60 | 89 | $3.7 m |
| Queens County | 59 | 95 | $3.2 m |
Households arriving report $5,551 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Albany County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Rensselaer County
What is the Rensselaer County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$15.51 bn
- County GDP, 2023$14.67 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20245.7 percent
- GDP change over five years53.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among the New York areas BEA publishes17th of 62
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes321st of 3,127
- GDP per resident$96,726
Output grew 5.7 percent in the latest year and 53.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Rensselaer County
Employment by industry in Rensselaer County
- Covered employment, annual average56,791
- Establishments reporting3,500
- Average annual pay$78,789
- Average weekly wage$1,515
- Health care and social assistance, employment7,591
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$56,787
- Manufacturing, employment7,007
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$162,823
- Retail trade, employment5,682
- Retail trade, average annual pay$38,894
- Accommodation and food services, employment4,286
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$27,903
- Transportation and warehousing, employment4,140
- Construction, employment2,871
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 7,591 | 318 | $56,787 |
| Manufacturing | 7,007 | 107 | $162,823 |
| Retail trade | 5,682 | 427 | $38,894 |
| Accommodation and food services | 4,286 | 320 | $27,903 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 4,140 | 57 | $67,567 |
| Construction | 2,871 | 396 | $87,388 |
| Educational services | 2,798 | 52 | $77,979 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 2,568 | 345 | $111,537 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 7,591 jobs, 13.4 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Rensselaer County
How many businesses are in Rensselaer County?
- Establishments, all industries2,985
- Employment at those establishments46,817
- Annual payroll$3.21 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents18.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Rensselaer County
Building permits in Rensselaer County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 2024320
- Declared construction value permitted$73.6 m
- Single family units authorized160
- Multifamily units authorized160
- Multifamily share of units50.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$230,037
- Units authorized per 1,000 households4.8
Multifamily is 50.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is being built for renters rather than buyers.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Rensselaer County
SBA loans in Rensselaer County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded144
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$36.4 m
- Average 7(a) approval$252,705
- Median 7(a) approval$72,500
- 10th percentile approval$20,000
- 90th percentile approval$731,500
- Largest single approval$4,650,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)1,063
- Jobs per approval7.4
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active26
- Distinct industries receiving approvals80
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer6.9 percent
- Loans on real estate terms10
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter125
- Franchise loans5
- Franchise share of approvals3.5 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (8)
- Most active lenderManufacturers and Traders Trust Company (26)
- 504 approvals recorded30
- 504 gross approval dollars$17.0 m
- Average 504 approval$566,867
- Median 504 approval$349,500
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval12.7
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved22.4
- Most active CDCEmpire State Certified Development Corporation (30)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$53.4 m
The average approval of $252,705 sits well above the median of $72,500, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 6.9 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rensselaer County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Rensselaer County
Do SBA loans in Rensselaer County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded31
- Paid in full27
- Charged off4
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans12.9 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure81
- Status: Paid in full27
- Status: Charged off4
- Status: Cancelled24
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed8
Of the 31 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12.9 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rensselaer County
SBA lending by place in Rensselaer County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending18
- Troy, approvals66
- Rensselaer, approvals24
- Wynantskill, approvals8
- Castleton-on-Hudson, approvals6
- East Greenbush, approvals5
- Averill Park, approvals4
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Troy | 66 | $21,458,500 |
| Rensselaer | 24 | $6,499,400 |
| Wynantskill | 8 | $786,200 |
| Castleton-on-Hudson | 6 | $529,500 |
| East Greenbush | 5 | $2,992,600 |
| Averill Park | 4 | $515,000 |
| Stephentown | 4 | $504,500 |
| Schaghticoke | 4 | $466,000 |
| 10 other borrower cities | 23 | $2,637,800 |
Troy accounts for 66 approvals against 24 in Rensselaer. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Rensselaer County
How large is Rensselaer County?
- Land area652 sq mi
- Rank by land area among New York counties32nd of 62
- Width, east to west26.4 mi
- Height, north to south33.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary6
- Residents per square mile of land246
- Establishments per square mile4.58
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Rensselaer County
Flood risk in Rensselaer County
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book22
- Of those, participating in the NFIP21
- NFIP participation rate95.5 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Rensselaer County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The EPA places Rensselaer County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 95.5 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Rensselaer County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Rensselaer County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024160,332
- Households66,686
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$87,915
- Median age40.1
Common questions
Rensselaer County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Rensselaer County, New York?
The Census Bureau estimates 160,749 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 160,332, in 66,686 households, ranking 22nd of 62 New York counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Rensselaer County's population growing?
The population has fallen 0.24 percent since the 2020 census base of 161,130, to 160,749 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 1,502 births against 1,620 deaths, with net migration of 1,015. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Rensselaer County?
$87,915. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $258,400, which is 2.9 times income, and median gross rent is $1,217 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Rensselaer County?
2,985 establishments, employing 46,817 people with an annual payroll of $3.21 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Rensselaer County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 7,591 jobs, 13.4 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 56,791 jobs at an average annual pay of $78,789, or $1,515 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Rensselaer County?
144 7(a) approvals totaling $36.4 m since FY2020, across 26 lenders, with a median approval of $72,500, plus 30 504 approvals worth $17.0 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Rensselaer County get paid back?
Of the 31 loans that have reached a final outcome, 27 were paid in full and 4 charged off, a charge-off rate of 12.9 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Rensselaer County?
320 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $73.6 m. Multifamily was 50.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Rensselaer County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Rensselaer County come from?
The largest single origin is Albany County, with 1,721 households. Arriving households report an average income of $59,927 against $65,478 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Rensselaer County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Rensselaer County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Rensselaer County
Cities and places in Rensselaer.
15 Census places lie wholly or partly in Rensselaer County. All 15 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy | city | 51,033 | 66 | Wholly in this county |
| Rensselaer | city | 9,287 | 24 | Wholly in this county |
| East Greenbush | CDP | 6,581 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Hampton Manor | CDP | 5,334 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Wynantskill | CDP | 3,487 | 8 | Wholly in this county |
| West Sand Lake | CDP | 3,479 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Hoosick Falls | village | 3,177 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Averill Park | CDP | 1,615 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Castleton-on-Hudson | village | 1,591 | 6 | Wholly in this county |
| Nassau | village | 1,058 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Nassau Lake | CDP | 830 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Poestenkill | CDP | 744 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| East Nassau | village | 613 | 3 | Wholly in this county |
| Schaghticoke | village | 545 | 4 | Wholly in this county |
| Valley Falls | village | 451 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
A further 13 of the county's 144 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Rensselaer County, the largest being Stephentown (4), Berlin (4), Buskirk (2). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.