Photo: UpstateNYer · CC BY-SA 3.0More people are out of work in Schenectady (8.7%) than in 91% of U.S. towns
For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 9.1 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 21.9 in Albany. Schenectady grades C− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Schenectady, in a few figures
Schenectady trades workers with the towns around it
Schenectady has about as many jobs (25,945) as working residents (27,154), but they are mostly different people: 21,667 residents leave for work each day while 20,458 people come in. Only 21% of the jobs in Schenectady are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Schenectady are quick
The average trip to work takes 22 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 84 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Schenectady’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Schenectady is better than 22% of U.S. towns, #635 of 758 in New York. Job access by car holds Schenectady’s grade up (ahead of 78% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (23.8%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Schenectady could be anywhere from C− to C.
The daily commute in and out of Schenectady
On a workday 21,667 residents head out to work, 5,487 work right here, and 20,458 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.96 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
About 22 minutes to work from Schenectady
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Schenectady workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 27,219 commuters (the 11% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
15% of working residents work in Colonie
Where Schenectady clocks in
15% of workers
14% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
68% of the jobs in Schenectady pay over $3,333 a month
25,945 jobs are based in Schenectady.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
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.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Schenectady’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The distance from Schenectady to work
About 18% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Schenectady is more walkable than most U.S. towns, with limited transit
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Schenectady is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #81 of 758 in New York. Both inputs place Schenectady near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 30,540 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 59% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 9.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 92% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 21.0% of Schenectady households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 7% of Schenectady’s commuters take a bus or train.
U.S. towns of 49,000 to 94,000, and where Schenectady sits
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 130 | Orangetown NY | 50,377 | $145K | 6.3% | 5.2% | 16% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 159 | Colonie NY | 86,837 | $102K | 7.3% | 3.2% | 25% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 174 | Clarkstown NY | 89,659 | $137K | 6.5% | 5.8% | 19% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 599 | Apple Valley CA | 75,247 | $70K | 16.6% | 7.5% | 15% | C− |
| 600 | Pharr TX | 80,830 | $53K | 27.6% | 7.2% | 20% | C− |
| 601 | Schenectady NY | 69,471 | $58K | 23.8% | 8.7% | 20% | C− |
| 602 | Delano CA | 52,334 | $67K | 16.0% | 13.9% | 29% | C− |
| 603 | Jacksonville NC | 72,732 | $58K | 12.7% | 7.4% | 32% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 634 | Albany GA | 66,907 | $47K | 27.5% | 11.2% | 51% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Schenectady, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bordering towns draw 13% of Schenectady’s workers
The biggest share goes to Glenville (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Schenectady workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schenectady | – | C− | A+ | 22 min | $58,399 |
| Rotterdam | 4% | A− | B+ | 23 min | $86,331 |
| Niskayuna | 4% | A | A− | 21 min | $137,349 |
| Glenville | 5% | A− | B+ | 24 min | $98,423 |
| East Glenville | under 2% | — | — | 25 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. East Glenville: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Schenectady’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Schenectady: questions
What is the median household income in Schenectady?
$58,399 (±$2,915) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Schenectady?
23.8%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Schenectady?
22 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 11% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Schenectady work?
20% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Colonie (15%, 8 mi), Albany (14%, 12 mi), New York City (6%, 148 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Schenectady walkable?
Schenectady is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 13.4 out of 20, and 13% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Schenectady without a car?
7% of commuters take transit and 21% of households have no car. 59% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Schenectady, from the people who make the trip.
More of Schenectady
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.