Work & commute · Schenectady

Work & commute in Schenectady, NY

About one in 5 of Schenectady’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Colonie (15%), Albany (14%) and New York (6%). Half commute less than 9 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

20%

5,487 of 27,154 working residents

Typical commute

9 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

22 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

11%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 21,667 Schenectady residents head out of town to work, 5,487 work right here, and 20,458 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Schenectady.

21,667live here, work elsewhere

5,487live and work here

20,458work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Schenectady goes to work

Schenectady (in town)right here

20%5,487

Colonie8.3 mi away

15%4,013

Albany11.5 mi away

14%3,909

New York147.9 mi away

6%1,595

Glenville6.7 mi away

5%1,368

Rotterdam4.4 mi away

4%1,173

Niskayuna2.7 mi away

4%1,094

Guilderland6.9 mi away

2%590

Clifton Park6.5 mi away

2%537

Troy13.6 mi away

2%416

Everywhere elseother towns and states

26%6,972

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Schenectady commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

54%

25%

18%

54%Under 10 mi

25%10–24 mi

3%25–50 mi

18%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Schenectady is balanced between jobs and homes

0.96jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (0.96 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Schenectady are

25,945 jobs are based in Schenectady. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Schenectady’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Schenectady

25,945 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)79%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month19%

Over $3,333 a month68%

Jobs Schenectady residents hold

27,154 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)11%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)68%

$1,250 a month or less14%

$1,251–$3,333 a month29%

Over $3,333 a month58%

−8%

Jobs based in Schenectady, 2013 → 2023: 28,289 → 25,945. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.