Schenectady County, New York: Industrial Catholic Metro county. In 2024, voted D+11%. Republican peak: R+46 in 1956.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+11MIT Election Lab
- Political typology
- Industrial Catholic MetroAkashic typology
- Population
- 160,3692024 5-year
- Median household income
- $79,6232024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 69.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 10.3%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.3%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+41 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+46 in 1956MIT Election Lab
- Most similar
- Washington County, RI · similarity 0.98
2024 results by precinct
2024 precinct map of Schenectady CountyPrecinct-level 2024 presidential results for Schenectady County, with each precinct boundary colored by Democratic-vs-Republican margin.
—
Margin—
Turnout—
Harris +50Trump +50
Real precinct boundaries. Hover for vote totals.
presidential history
Presidential margin, 1876–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1876 | No data |
| 1880 | No data |
| 1884 | No data |
| 1888 | No data |
| 1892 | +7.4% |
| 1896 | −13.4% |
| 1900 | −16.6% |
| 1904 | −21.5% |
| 1908 | −14.9% |
| 1912 | +0.7% |
| 1916 | −3.9% |
| 1920 | −31.2% |
| 1924 | −27.6% |
| 1928 | −15.7% |
| 1932 | −11.2% |
| 1936 | +6.9% |
| 1940 | −3.1% |
| 1944 | −2.6% |
| 1948 | −10.8% |
| 1952 | −33.2% |
| 1956 | −46.0% |
| 1960 | −4.1% |
| 1964 | +40.7% |
| 1968 | +1.5% |
| 1972 | −23.2% |
| 1976 | −12.0% |
| 1980 | −2.9% |
| 1984 | −16.5% |
| 1988 | +4.4% |
| 1992 | +8.2% |
| 1996 | +19.9% |
| 2000 | +11.3% |
| 2004 | +5.6% |
| 2008 | +12.7% |
| 2012 | +15.8% |
| 2016 | +7.1% |
| 2020 | +15.7% |
| 2024 | +10.7% |
DemocraticRepublican
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 39,733 | 31,975 | 72,572 | ||
| D | 42,465 | 30,741 | 74,862 | ||
| D | 33,747 | 28,953 | 67,280 | ||
| D | 36,844 | 26,568 | 64,933 | ||
| D | 38,611 | 29,758 | 69,842 | ||
| D | 35,971 | 32,066 | 69,469 | ||
| D | 35,534 | 27,961 | 66,954 | ||
| D | 35,404 | 22,106 | 66,709 | ||
| D | 32,335 | 26,258 | 73,870 | ||
| D | 36,483 | 33,364 | 70,386 | ||
| R | 30,612 | 42,808 | 73,697 | ||
| R | 29,932 | 32,003 | 70,534 | ||
| R | 31,838 | 40,789 | 74,732 | ||
| R | 29,619 | 47,529 | 77,339 | ||
| D | 34,786 | 33,687 | 72,002 | ||
| D | 51,892 | 21,848 | 73,820 | ||
| R | 37,003 | 40,180 | 77,253 | ||
| R | 21,673 | 58,540 | 80,213 | ||
| R | 27,157 | 54,272 | 81,699 | ||
| R | 28,225 | 35,495 | 67,485 | ||
| R | 33,397 | 35,178 | 68,869 | ||
| R | 32,041 | 34,101 | 66,476 | ||
| D | 31,027 | 26,914 | 59,407 | ||
| R | 22,230 | 28,187 | 53,371 | ||
| R | 21,277 | 29,428 | 52,009 | ||
| R | 3,413 | 6,142 | 9,879 | ||
| R | 8,741 | 19,208 | 33,582 | ||
| R | 8,962 | 9,759 | 20,566 | ||
| O | 5,345 | 5,230 | 17,027 | ||
| R | 7,129 | 9,944 | 18,862 | ||
| R | 5,981 | 9,535 | 16,515 | ||
| R | 4,783 | 6,769 | 11,984 | ||
| R | 3,711 | 4,903 | 8,907 | ||
| D | 4,081 | 3,481 | 8,055 | ||
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Demographics
2024 ACS
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
Italian
16.8%
Irish
15.7%
German
12.4%
English
9.7%
American
5.8%
Polish
5.1%
French
4.2%
African American
8.2%
Multiple ancestry combinations reported; no single grouping above 1%.
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander combined.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
2024 ACS
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.6 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Median household income
Inflation-adjusted dollars
$79,623
Schenectady County ranks in the top 25% of US counties.
Schenectady County$79,623
New York$85,974
United States$80,734
Schenectady County ranks in the top 25% of US counties by median household income.
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.3%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1817.3%
Working age (18–64)12.2%
Seniors (65+)11.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
2024 ACS
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
90.4%
speak English only
Spanish3.9%
Other Indo-European3.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.9%
Other languages0.7%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
2020 religion census
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 64.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Schenectady County's Democratic lean of roughly 11 points in 2024 reflects a mix of a historically industrial city core and surrounding suburbs that have shifted gradually leftward over the past decade.
Its margins are typically close. The Democratic margin reached forty-one points in 1964; the Republican margin reached forty-six points in 1956. Between 2020 and 2024 the county moved five points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was eleven points.
Its demographics sit near national norms: a 69% non-Hispanic-white share, a median household income of $79,623, and a 13% poverty rate. The county's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Washington County and Pierce County.
Most similar counties
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Schenectady County, New York. Akashic. https://akashic.app/county/36093/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
More in New York
More industrial catholic metro counties
Frequently asked questions
How did Schenectady County, New York vote in 2024?
In 2024, Schenectady County, New York voted Democratic by 10.7 points (D+11), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 72,572 votes cast, 39,733 went Democratic and 31,975 went Republican.
What is Schenectady County, New York's political typology?
Akashic places Schenectady County, New York in the "Industrial Catholic Metro" typology — Mid-size industrial metros with Catholic ethnic roots — among the most competitive, swing-prone ground in the country. The typology is a data-driven cluster built from vote share, vote swing, race and ethnicity, income, language spoken at home, religion, and ancestry. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the county has voted Democratic 14 times, Republican 19 times, and other 1 times.
When did Schenectady County, New York last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Schenectady County, New York voted Republican was 1984.
How many people live in Schenectady County, New York?
Schenectady County, New York has a population of 160,369 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Schenectady County, New York?
Median household income in Schenectady County, New York is $79,623 — below the national median of $80,734. The New York state median is $85,974.
What is the political history of Schenectady County, New York?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Schenectady County, New York from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 14 went Democratic and 19 went Republican. The county's typology — "Industrial Catholic Metro" — captures where that record, its demographics, and its recent swing place it among American communities.