CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

42.72° N · 73.83° W · GEOID 3617332

Colonie

Albany County, New York · part of the Albany, NY metro

New YorkColonie, NYColonieColonie

The short answer

Colonie is home to 7,702 people. Median household income is $103,983 a year and median rent is $1,570 a month, 18.1% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $285,400, about 2.7x annual median household income.

Colonie stands out on how people work. Counting remote workers as zero, the average worker spends about 110 hours a year commuting, less than in 92% of places its size. Also notable: OpenStreetMap shows 7.8 grocery stores per 10,000 residents, more than in 93% of places its size.

74OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Colonie scores better than 74% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 76th of 340 in New York.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%76
Economy 20%60
Safety 20%36
Amenities 15%62
Education 10%57
Commute 10%93
Growth 5%13
Median gross rent
$1,570
15% above the median place
Median household income
$103,983
30% above the median place
Median home value
$285,400
11% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
3% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Colonie

  • Affordability35% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 86% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Colonie

Albany County loses about 3.6 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in13,627
Moved out14,503
Net−876

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Schenectady County, NY1,5911,845−254
Saratoga County, NY1,1781,765−587
Kings County, NY433273+160
Queens County, NY450185+265
Greene County, NY350239+111

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$66K
Leavers$79K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Albany County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
8.0% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.6% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Albany County report $66,300 a year in income on average; those leaving, $79,400, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$62,800 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,570 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,755 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $285,400.
Getting to work
17 minutes each way on average; 15.7% work from home; 4.2% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
New Martinsville, WV matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
8.0%
39% above the median place
Income of households moving out8
$79,373
13% above the median place
Moved from another state1
1.6%
21% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureColonieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure8.0%39% above
Moved from another state1County figure1.6%21% below
Net movers per 1,000 people8County figure-3.6below (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in8County figure$66,2506% below
Income of households moving out8County figure$79,37313% above
02

What it costs to live here

Owning with a mortgage costs only about $185 a month more than the median rent, a smaller gap than in 85% of the 2,469 places under 10,000 people we track.

Colonie18.1%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$62,800
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
18.1%
11% below the median place
Home price to income
2.7x
28% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
18%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$86,100
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Colonie, $1,570 a month, and local prices for everything else (99.0 against a US average of 100). It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Like Colonie, but easier on the budget

Places that match Colonie on character (size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, remote work and climate) but where rent takes a clearly smaller share of income. Cost was left out of the match on purpose.

PlaceMatchRent to incomeMore left a year
New Martinsville, WV9413.5% vs 18.1%n/aCompare
Somerset, MA9213.5% vs 18.1%$10,100Compare
Mercerville, NJ9115.2% vs 18.1%$26,600Compare
Holbrook, MA9111.4% vs 18.1%$16,000Compare

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Colonie.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Colonie? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Renters paying 30%+1
35.3%
30% below the median place
Homeownership1
80.2%
21% above the median place
Median year built1
1965
1% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureColonieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,57015% above
Rent to income118.1%11% below
Property tax rate11.3%43% above
Home price to income12.7x28% below
Prices vs US average2Metro figure99.61% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3County figure$1,7116% above
HUD area median income4County figure$123,10015% above
Property tax paid (median)1$3,71214% above
Median home value1$285,40011% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure5.0%57% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure50.5%2% below
Homeownership180.2%21% above
Renters paying 30%+135.3%30% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7556% below
Vacant homes1County figure8.8%24% above
Median year built119651% below
03

Work and pay

OpenStreetMap shows 2.2 bus and rail stops per square mile, more than in 82% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track.

Mean commute1
17 min
32% below the median place
Median household income1
$103,983
30% above the median place
Poverty rate1
7.5%
31% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureColonieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$103,98330% above
Income per person1$44,84212% above
Unemployment1County figure5.0%3% above
Average annual pay6County figure$85,81830% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure4.2%14% above
Jobs6County figure235,82657% above
Poverty rate17.5%31% below
Mean commute117 min32% below
Works from home115.7%26% above
Commutes by transit1County figure4.2%395% above
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 1.9%, 70% below the median place.

No health insurance1
1.9%
70% below the median place
Median age1
43.4
11% above the median place
Homes with broadband1
95.2%
3% above the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher89.5% −3%
Household size2.4 −4%
Bachelor's or higher35.7% +11%
Born abroad9.2% +4%
All 9 people measures
MeasureColonieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population17,7025049th largest
Population change since 20207-1.2%below (median 1.1%)
Median age143.411% above
Bachelor's or higher135.7%11% above
High school or higher189.5%3% below
Household size12.44% below
Born abroad19.2%4% above
No health insurance11.9%70% below
Homes with broadband195.2%3% above
05

Life in Colonie

OpenStreetMap shows 0 libraries per 10,000 residents, fewer than in 80% of the 2,480 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 340 New York places we track.

Founded or incorporated in 1895. 32 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, 13 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Watervliet Shaker Historic District listed 1973
  • Watervliet Shaker Historic District (Boundary Increase) listed 1973
  • Bacon-Stickney House listed 1985
  • Byrne, Senator William T., House listed 1985
  • Cramer, Frederick, House listed 1985
  • Dunsbach, Martin, House listed 1985

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents6.5 −36%
Playgrounds per 10k13.0 +38%
Grocery stores per 10k7.8 3.7×
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k40.3 3.6×
Libraries per 10k0.0 −100%
Named paths and bike trails4 km +75%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi2.2 10.3×

Mapped by volunteers in OpenStreetMap inside the city limits (Census boundaries), so coverage is fuller in some places than others. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

National Park Service sites nearby

  • Saratoga National Historical Park 22 miles
  • Martin Van Buren National Historic Site 25 miles
  • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site 64 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars29.4 +41%
Shops38.9 +28%
Arts, recreation and fitness6.2 +51%
Doctors' offices and clinics20.5 +1%
Child care centers3.1 +35%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Nearest National Park Service site11
21.7
30% below the median place
Restaurants and bars per 10k9
29.4
41% above the median place
Students per teacher14
11.9
23% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureColonieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools14County figure73above (median 9)
Public school students14County figure39,946above (median 4,897)
Students per teacher14County figure11.923% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k9County figure29.441% above
Shops per 10k9County figure38.928% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k9County figure6.251% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k9County figure20.51% above
Child care centers per 10k9County figure3.135% above
Parks per 10k106.536% below
Playgrounds per 10k1013.038% above
Grocery stores per 10k107.8267% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k1040.3261% above
Libraries per 10k100.0below (median 0.9)
Named paths and bike trails103.575% above
Transit stops per sq mi102.2above (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1121.730% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1120% above
National Register listings1232146% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 146, 24% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
146
24% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
2,833
134% above the median place
Months reported
12 of 12
by the city police department to the FBI

Counts only offenses reported by the city police department. Sheriff, state and campus police are not included, and some departments do not report to the FBI at all, so compare with care.

January average low15
14°F
44% below the median place
Average temperature15
48°F
13% below the median place
July average high15
82°F
6% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureColonieAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high15County figure82°F6% below
January average low15County figure14°F44% below
Average temperature15County figure48°F13% below
Annual precipitation15County figure41.6 in5% below
Natural hazard risk16County figure85.97% below
Hurricane risk16County figure84.420% above
Tornado risk16County figure88.08% above
Wildfire risk16County figure36.241% below
Heat wave risk16County figure73.219% below
Median air quality index17County figure399% below
Good air days17County figure68.5%0% above
08

Colonie in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 18% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 18% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases. On projected 2030 affordability, Colonie does better than 75% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 11%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,570/mo (2024)$2,010/mo$1,650 to $2,450/mo+4.2%
Median household income$103,983 (2024)$130,500$110,500 to $154,500+3.9%
Median home value$285,400 (2024)$397,000$288,000 to $547,000+5.7%
Population7,679 (2025)7,6907,380 to 8,020+0.0%

The median home would be worth 3.0 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Colonie

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Tinley Park, IL$1,495$105,189Compare
Oakbrook, KY$1,665$94,652Compare
Des Plaines, IL$1,606$97,875Compare
Bartlett, TN$1,638$102,070Compare
Bartlett, TNDes Plaines, ILOakbrook, KYTinley Park, ILColonie, NYColonieTinley ParkOakbrookDes PlainesBartlettColonieTinley ParkOakbrookDes PlainesBartlett

Places built like Colonie

Its statistical peers: the closest matches on size, age, education, homeownership, household size, housing age, origin and remote work, in the same part of the country. Cost and outcomes are left out of the match, so the table shows how Colonie performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Colonie, NY18.1%3.3%/yr-1.2%
Linglestown, PA21.0%3.5%/yrn/aCompare
Yardville, NJ19.3%-0.7%/yrn/aCompare
Spotswood, NJ12.3%5.6%/yr1.1%Compare
Ramblewood, NJ24.6%0.3%/yrn/aCompare
New Windsor, NY24.6%2.7%/yrn/aCompare
Palmyra, NJ22.7%4.3%/yr2.9%Compare

Common questions

Is Colonie a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. Its Citytistics Index is 74 out of 100, better than 74% of the places we rate and 76th of 340 in New York. 35% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 86% of the 2,214 places under 10,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 85 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Colonie expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 18.1% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $285,400.

What salary do you need to live in Colonie?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $62,800 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Colonie safe?

There were 146 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Colonie?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Tinley Park, IL, Oakbrook, KY, Des Plaines, IL and Bartlett, TN.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  14. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  15. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  16. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  17. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Colonie with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Colonie itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/colonie-new-york

Citytistics. “Colonie, New York.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/colonie-new-york/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.