Tompkins County, New York

NY · FIPS 36109 Democrat

Located in New York, Tompkins County has a population of 104,537 residents and a median age of 32.3 years, making it the #599 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 16.4%. The median home value is $290,900, and the median household income is $74,024, which is 1% below the national median.

104,537
Population
#599 of 3,222
$74,024
Median Income
-1.5% #909 of 3,222
32.3 years
Median Age
-17.0% #3,112 of 3,222
16.4%
Poverty Rate
+29.8% #2,191 of 3,222

Demographics

Tompkins County has a population of 104,537, making it the #599 most populous county in the US. The median age is 32.3 years, which is 17.0% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

87.1%
Native Born
12.9%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Tompkins County is $74,024, ranking #909 out of 3,222 counties — 1.5% below the national median. The poverty rate is 16.4% and unemployment stands at 5.5%.

Income#909
$74,024
-1.5%
vs nation
72th percentile
Per Capita#644
$41,808
+1.3%
vs nation
80th percentile
Poverty#2,191
16.4%
+29.8%
vs nation
32th percentile
Unemployment#2,326
5.5%
+4.6%
vs nation
28th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Tompkins County is $290,900 (+3.2% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,411/mo and the homeownership rate is 54.1%.

Home Value#674
$290,900
+3.2%
vs nation
79th percentile
Rent#305
$1,411
+21.3%
vs nation
91th percentile
Homeownership#3,120
54.1%
-15.9%
vs nation
3th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Tompkins County, 58.8% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 74.4% above the national average, ranking #30 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
58.8% +74.4% vs nation
Rank #30 of 3,222
99th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Tompkins County is 80.9 years. 13.7% of adults report poor or fair health and 4.7% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#128
80.9
+7.7%
vs nation
96th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#270
13.7%
-30.0%
vs nation
91th percentile
Diabetes#275
8.4%
-24.5%
vs nation
91th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,249
36.3%
-2.7%
vs nation
60th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#702
5.2
-8.0%
vs nation
78th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#678
3.9
-12.7%
vs nation
79th percentile
Uninsured Rate#120
4.7%
-55.2%
vs nation
96th percentile
Physical Inactivity#405
20.7%
-21.5%
vs nation
87th percentile
Food Insecurity#790
11.9%
-17.4%
vs nation
75th percentile

Substance Use

13.3% of adults in Tompkins County smoke , 33.0% are obese , and 22.7% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 25.1 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#332
13.3%
-25.9%
vs nation
90th percentile
Adult Obesity#446
33.0%
-12.9%
vs nation
86th percentile
Excessive Drinking#2,570
22.7%
+14.3%
vs nation
18th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#900
25.1
-22.4%
vs nation
58th percentile

Safety

The suicide rate is 12.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 7.3 per 100,000.

Suicide Rate#384
12.7
-35.5%
vs nation
85th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#35
4.3
-76.2%
vs nation
99th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#120
7.3
-64.0%
vs nation
96th percentile

Families & Children

12.5% of children in Tompkins County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 5.2 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 3.3 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#339
5.2
-23.4%
vs nation
75th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#24
3.3
-85.0%
vs nation
99th percentile
Child Poverty#686
12.5%
-34.2%
vs nation
78th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Tompkins County is 57.5%. The mean commute time is 22.0 min, which is 20.3% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
57.5% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
22.0 min −20.3% vs nation
Rank #2,531 of 3,222
21th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Tompkins County voted Democratic with a margin of 50.6%. The vote was 75.3% Dem / 24.7% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted +1.4 toward Democrats .

2024 DEM +50.6%
75.3% 24.7%
Dem 45,985 votes Rep
2020 DEM +49.2%
73.5% 24.3%
Dem 45,735 votes Rep
2016 DEM +42.1%
67.7% 25.6%
Dem 37,747 votes Rep
2012 DEM +39.7%
68.2% 28.5%
Dem 35,825 votes Rep
2008 DEM +42.1%
70.1% 28%
Dem 42,552 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Tompkins County, New York

Tompkins County, New York has a total population of 104,537, making it the 599th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Tompkins County is 32.3 years, which is 17.0% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Tompkins County is $74,024, which ranks #909 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 1.5% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 16.4%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 5.5%.

The median home value in Tompkins County is $290,900, 3.2% above the national median. Renters in Tompkins County pay a median gross rent of $1,411 per month. The homeownership rate is 54.1%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Tompkins County, 58.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 74.4% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 95.6% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 22.0 min.

Tompkins County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 73.7% of the population, followed by Asian (non-Hispanic) (10.1%) and Hispanic or Latino (6.6%).

All data for Tompkins County, New York comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.