CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

42.78° N · 73.96° W · GEOID 3663924

Rotterdam

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

New YorkRotterdam, NYRotterdamRotterdam

The short answer

Rotterdam is home to 22,695 people. Median household income is $85,887 a year and median rent is $1,278 a month, 17.9% 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 $214,400, about 2.5x annual median household income.

Rotterdam's housing market sets it apart. Homeowners pay a median of about 2.1% of home value a year in property tax, more than in 92% of places its size. Also notable: Home value growth is 5.8% a year, against 7.5% a year in its closest peers.

74OF 100

CTXCitytistics Index

Above average

Rotterdam scores better than 74% of the 6,612 places we rate, and ranks 80th of 340 in New York.

How the CTX is built

Category ratings · 0 to 100, typical place 50

Affordability 20%80
Economy 20%70
Safety 20%45
Amenities 15%34
Education 10%50
Commute 10%67
Growth 5%n/a

Not rated: growth, for want of data. The other weights are spread over the categories rated.

Median gross rent
$1,278
6% below the median place
Median household income
$85,887
7% above the median place
Median home value
$214,400
33% below the median place
Unemployment
3.3%
32% below 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 Rotterdam

  • Affordability41% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 79% of the 2,222 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.
01

Moving to Rotterdam

Schenectady County gains about 0.8 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in7,028
Moved out6,926
Net+102

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Albany County, NY1,8451,591+254
Saratoga County, NY8251,037−212
Queens County, NY559121+438
Kings County, NY20677+129
Schoharie County, NY122111+11

Within New York, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within New YorkOther statesAbroad

Income per tax return

Arrivals$61K
Leavers$67K

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

Who moves here
4.5% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 1.5% from another state.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Schenectady County report $60,500 a year in income on average; those leaving, $66,900, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$51,100 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,278 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,774 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $214,400.
Getting to work
22 minutes each way on average; 14.8% work from home; 2.9% take transit.
If it is close but not quite
Allouez, WI matches it on character for less of your income. Compare the two
Moved here in the past year1
4.5%
21% below the median place
Income of households moving in7
$60,543
14% below the median place
Moved from another state1
1.5%
23% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureRotterdamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year14.5%21% below
Moved from another state1County figure1.5%23% below
Net movers per 1,000 people7County figure0.8above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in7County figure$60,54314% below
Income of households moving out7County figure$66,8575% below
02

What it costs to live here

The median home costs 2.5 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 90% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track.

Rotterdam17.9%
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
$51,120
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
17.9%
12% below the median place
Home price to income
2.5x
34% 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
$71,400
a year
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Rotterdam, $1,278 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 Rotterdam, but easier on the budget

Places that match Rotterdam 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
Allouez, WI9414.6% vs 17.9%$9,100Compare
Blair, NE9213.8% vs 17.9%$4,200Compare
Fort Atkinson, WI9214.5% vs 17.9%n/aCompare
Whitehall, PA9012.3% vs 17.9%$7,700Compare

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

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Rotterdam? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Property tax rate1
2.1%
136% above the median place
Median year built1
1957
1% below the median place
Renters paying 30%+1
41.2%
19% below the median place
All 16 cost and housing measures
MeasureRotterdamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$1,2786% below
Rent to income117.9%12% below
Property tax rate12.1%136% above
Home price to income12.5x34% 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$4,59941% above
Median home value1$214,40033% below
Home prices, 1-year change5County figure4.2%30% above
Home prices, 5-year change5County figure57.3%11% above
Homeownership176.4%15% above
Renters paying 30%+141.2%19% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,7745% below
Vacant homes15.1%28% below
Median year built119571% below
03

Work and pay

OpenStreetMap shows 0 bus and rail stops per square mile, fewer than in 78% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 340 New York places we track.

Unemployment1
3.3%
32% below the median place
Poverty rate1
6.8%
37% below the median place
Mean commute1
22 min
10% below the median place

More on work and pay, against the typical place

Works from home14.8% +19%
Median household income$85,887 +7%
Income per person$41,460 +3%
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureRotterdamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$85,8877% above
Income per person1$41,4603% above
Unemployment13.3%32% below
Average annual pay6County figure$75,69415% above
Pay growth, 1 year6County figure2.6%30% below
Jobs6County figure60,18360% below
Poverty rate16.8%37% below
Mean commute122 min10% below
Works from home114.8%19% above
Commutes by transit1County figure2.9%240% above
04

Who lives here

No health insurance is 1.8%, 72% below the median place.

No health insurance1
1.8%
72% below the median place
Household size1
2.3
10% below the median place
Born abroad1
5.3%
40% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

High school or higher94.7% +3%
Median age40.0 +3%
Homes with broadband92.3% −0%
Bachelor's or higher32.0% −0%
All 8 people measures
MeasureRotterdamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population122,6952053rd largest
Median age140.03% above
Bachelor's or higher132.0%0% below
High school or higher194.7%3% above
Household size12.310% below
Born abroad15.3%40% below
No health insurance11.8%72% below
Homes with broadband192.3%0% below
05

Life in Rotterdam

About 0 km of named paths and bike trails are mapped in and around the city, fewer than in 84% of the 2,301 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 340 New York places we track.

Founded or incorporated in 1661. 1 site is on the National Register of Historic Places, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks. Its history on Wikipedia

  • Enlarged Double Lock No. 23, Old Erie Canal listed 2008

Out the door, against the typical place

Parks per 10k residents4.8 −52%
Playgrounds per 10k6.6 −30%
Grocery stores per 10k3.1 +45%
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k14.5 +30%
Libraries per 10k0.9 +1%
Named paths and bike trails0 km −100%
Bus and rail stops per sq mi0.0 −100%

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 31 miles
  • Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site 68 miles

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars20.7 −0%
Shops26.9 −11%
Arts, recreation and fitness3.6 −12%
Doctors' offices and clinics12.0 −41%
Child care centers3.1 +35%

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

Nearest National Park Service site10
22.3
28% below the median place
Students per teacher13
11.4
26% below the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8
12.0
41% below the median place
All 18 schools and local life measures
MeasureRotterdamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools13County figure40344% above
Public school students13County figure21,555340% above
Students per teacher13County figure11.426% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k8County figure20.70% below
Shops per 10k8County figure26.911% below
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k8County figure3.612% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k8County figure12.041% below
Child care centers per 10k8County figure3.135% above
Parks per 10k94.852% below
Playgrounds per 10k96.630% below
Grocery stores per 10k93.145% above
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k914.530% above
Libraries per 10k90.91% above
Named paths and bike trails90.0below (median 2.0)
Transit stops per sq mi90.0below (median 0.2)
Nearest National Park Service site1022.328% below
National Park Service sites within 60 miles1020% above
National Register listings11192% below
06

Safety, weather and risk

Violent crime per 100k is 125, 35% below the median place.

Violent crime per 100k
125
35% below the median place
Property crime per 100k
1,952
61% 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 low14
13°F
47% below the median place
Wildfire risk15
21.5
65% below the median place
Average temperature14
47°F
14% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasureRotterdamAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high14County figure82°F6% below
January average low14County figure13°F47% below
Average temperature14County figure47°F14% below
Annual precipitation14County figure41.2 in6% below
Natural hazard risk15County figure71.323% below
Hurricane risk15County figure75.77% above
Tornado risk15County figure70.713% below
Wildfire risk15County figure21.565% below
Heat wave risk15County figure57.137% below
Median air quality index16Metro figure415% below
Good air days16Metro figure67.7%1% below
08

Rotterdam 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, Rotterdam does better than 80% of places. Its projected home value growth beats 18%.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$1,278/mo (2024)$1,650/mo$1,360 to $2,010/mo+4.4%
Median household income$85,887 (2024)$109,000$92,000 to $129,000+4.1%
Median home value$214,400 (2024)$301,000$218,000 to $414,000+5.8%

The median home would be worth 2.8 years of the median income in 2030, against 2.5 now.

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

09

Places like Rotterdam

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

PlaceRentIncome
Lynwood, IL$1,368$85,237Compare
Woodstock, IL$1,212$82,758Compare
Oak Forest, IL$1,328$91,990Compare
Oak Lawn, IL$1,335$83,911Compare
Oak Lawn, ILOak Forest, ILWoodstock, ILLynwood, ILRotterdam, NYRotterdamLynwoodWoodstockOak ForestRotterdamLynwoodWoodstockOak Forest

Places built like Rotterdam

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 Rotterdam performs against places like it.

PlaceRent to incomeIncome growthPop. change
Rotterdam, NY17.9%5.5%/yrn/a
Baldwin, PA15.8%4.4%/yr-4.7%Compare
West Mifflin, PA12.2%7.8%/yr-4.5%Compare
North Tonawanda, NY16.7%2.8%/yr-2.3%Compare
Depew, NY17.3%4.7%/yr-2.4%Compare
Greece, NY21.3%1.4%/yrn/aCompare
Irondequoit, NY17.6%4.9%/yrn/aCompare

Common questions

Is Rotterdam 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 80th of 340 in New York. 41% of renter households spend 30% or more of income on rent, a lower share than in 79% of the 2,222 places of 10,000 to 25,000 people we track. On cost, space and class size it scores 82 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Rotterdam expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 17.9% 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 $214,400.

What salary do you need to live in Rotterdam?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $51,120 a year. Work it out from your current city.

Is Rotterdam safe?

There were 125 reported violent crimes per 100,000 residents, against 192 in the typical place.

What places are similar to Rotterdam?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Lynwood, IL, Woodstock, IL, Oak Forest, IL and Oak Lawn, IL.

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. 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.
  8. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  9. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  10. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  11. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  12. Crime Data Explorer · Federal Bureau of Investigation · 2025 data
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 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
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. 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 Rotterdam with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Rotterdam itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/rotterdam-new-york

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

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