According to the World Population Review, Schenectady, New York’s population as of 2017 is estimated to be 65,625 people. In comparison, Schenectady is the 9th largest city in New York, based off of the 2017 US Census Bureau. The review also revealed that the city had a population density of 6080.95 people/mi^2.
Based on information obtained from the American Community Survey, there was an average 2.67 people per household and the median income for households is $41,243. Lastly, 16.2% of families and 21.1% of individuals living in Schenectady are below the federal poverty line, where 38.3% of those under 18 are in poverty, and 10.2% of those 65 years or older.
So the question is how the population has fluctuated over the years. As you can see in the chart below, Schenectady suffered an enormous population decline with a decay rate of -11.01% (roughly 10,000 people). In the years after, the population suffered a slow decrease that may have been caused by the economic decline the city suffered through. Below is a table and chart displaying the growth/decay of our city’s population.
Great post that breaks down the situation in Schenectady. I’m sure most Union students are somewhat familiar with how big and prominent this town used to be compared to now. Schenectady was once considered a rising city in upstate New York due to the presence of General Electric’s headquarters. After GE moved most of its employment elsewhere, and after the recession of 2008, Schenectady didn’t seem like a desirable place for jobs anymore. Will Schenectady ever be able to grow again?
I think this post is interested because it makes us think about Schenectady’s past with an increase of population due to the General Electric headquarters. Although Schenectady has been decreasing in population, new construction such as River’s and new apartments/ restaurants/ etc, bringing employees and new residents, it will be interested in seeing how this trend changes.
Elly, I really like the way you referred to Schenectady as our city! As a Junior at Union, I really feel that schenectady is my home. That being said, I am curious to know if the population decline is a positive or a negative. Are people moving from poverty stricken areas, that have a median family income of around 40k a year, to nicer areas or worse areas?
Regardless very interesting stuff!
I found this post breaking down the dynamics of Schenectady to be very interesting–I felt that I had been previously aware of some of the poverty issues in this city, but I really had no idea that almost 40% of individuals under 18 years old were living in poverty. Did the large population decline occur when GE moved headquarters out of Schenectady? I have heard stories about this and am wondering what the impact on population size was, as well as the percentages of those living in poverty. Where do we go from here? How do we make things better for Union’s surrounding city?