Rensselaer County Demographics

A map of Rensselaer County's Population by Race

Rensselaer County, New York had a population of 161,130 in 2020. It was 77.3% White, 7.3% Black, 3.5% Asian, 5.9% Hispanic, 0.6% Native American/Other, and 5.3% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Rensselaer County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Rensselaer County is the 21st most populous county of the 62 counties in New York.

Rensselaer County's White Population

124,600 residents of Rensselaer County identify as White, or 77.3%. This makes the White share of the population of Rensselaer County considerably larger than the White share of the population of New York (52.5% White). Of the 62 counties in New York, Rensselaer County is ranked #41 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Rensselaer County is more White than neighboring Albany County (67% White). Rensselaer County is less White than neighboring Berkshire County (84.7% White), Columbia County (82.5% White), Bennington County (90.8% White), and Saratoga County (86.5% White).

Rensselaer County's Black Population

11,800 residents of Rensselaer County identify as Black, or 7.3%. This makes the Black share of the population of Rensselaer County slightly less than the Black share of the population of New York (13.7% Black). Of the 62 counties in New York, Rensselaer County is ranked #18 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Rensselaer County is more Black than neighboring Berkshire County (3.1% Black), Columbia County (3.9% Black), Bennington County (1.1% Black), and Saratoga County (1.6% Black). Rensselaer County is less Black than neighboring Albany County (12.9% Black).

Rensselaer County's Asian Population

5,711 residents of Rensselaer County identify as Asian, or 3.5%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Rensselaer County slightly less than the Asian share of the population of New York (9.5% Asian). Of the 62 counties in New York, Rensselaer County is ranked #19 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Rensselaer County is more Asian than neighboring Berkshire County (1.5% Asian), Columbia County (2.3% Asian), Bennington County (1.1% Asian), and Saratoga County (3.2% Asian). Rensselaer County is less Asian than neighboring Albany County (7.7% Asian).

Rensselaer County's Hispanic Population

9,482 residents of Rensselaer County identify as Hispanic, or 5.9%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Rensselaer County less than the Hispanic share of the population of New York (19.5% Hispanic). Of the 62 counties in New York, Rensselaer County is ranked #25 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Rensselaer County is more Hispanic than neighboring Berkshire County (5.5% Hispanic), Columbia County (5.8% Hispanic), Bennington County (2.5% Hispanic), and Saratoga County (3.7% Hispanic). Rensselaer County is less Hispanic than neighboring Albany County (6.9% Hispanic).

Rensselaer County's Native American/Other Population

1,033 residents of Rensselaer County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.6%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Rensselaer County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of New York (1.3% Native American/Other). Of the 62 counties in New York, Rensselaer County is ranked #39 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Rensselaer County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Bennington County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Saratoga County (0.5% Native American/Other). Rensselaer County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Columbia County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Albany County (0.8% Native American/Other).

Rensselaer County's Multiracial Population

8,504 residents of Rensselaer County identify as Multiracial, or 5.3%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Rensselaer County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of New York (3.6% Multiracial). Of the 62 counties in New York, Rensselaer County is ranked #5 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Rensselaer County is more Multiracial than neighboring Berkshire County (4.5% Multiracial), Columbia County (4.8% Multiracial), Albany County (4.7% Multiracial), Bennington County (4.1% Multiracial), and Saratoga County (4.5% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.