Compare towns
Utica vs Schenectady
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New York.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Utica has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).
Schenectady has the most people working from home (10.9%).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Utica | Schenectady |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 64,217Lowest |
68,847Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +4.9%Highest NY: +4.2% |
+1.4%Lowest NY: +4.2% |
| Median age | 35.2±1Lowest 12% below NY |
36.1±1Highest 9% below NY |
| Schenectady and Utica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Kids under 18 | 25.4%±1.3Highest NY: 20.5% |
19.9%±1.2Lowest NY: 20.5% |
| Age 65+ | 15.2%±1Highest NY: 17.9% |
15.1%±1.1Lowest NY: 17.9% |
| Utica and Schenectady are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.4%Lowest NY: 40.2% |
25.4%Highest NY: 40.2% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 7.4%±0.8Lowest NY: 7% |
9.8%±1Highest NY: 7% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $52,484±$3kLowest 39% below NY |
$58,399±$3kHighest 32% below NY |
| Schenectady and Utica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $151,300±$6kLowest 64% below NY |
$168,800±$5kHighest 60% below NY |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $951±$24Lowest 41% below NY |
$1,145±$33Highest 29% below NY |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,246Lowest 51% below NY |
$4,874Highest 26% below NY |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52.6%±5Lowest NY: 52.1% |
58.5%±4.5Highest NY: 52.1% |
| Schenectady and Utica are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 27.5%Highest NY: 14% |
23.8%Lowest NY: 14% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 49.7%Highest NY: 54.3% |
45.6%Lowest NY: 54.3% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1940Lowest 19 yrs older than NY |
1941Highest 18 yrs older than NY |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minLowest 40% below NY |
22 minHighest 33% below NY |
| Work from home | 7.5%±1.2Lowest NY: 14.9% |
10.9%±1.4Highest NY: 14.9% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #383 of 484 in NY | #400 of 484 in NY |
| School district | NEW YORK STATE OFFICE MENTAL HEALTH (OMH) · UTICA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT | SCHENECTADY CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | THOMAS R PROCTOR HIGH SCHOOL | SCHENECTADY HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 16.6Highest |
13.3Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet |
NY average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.