Dutchess County, New York Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Dutchess County is located in New York with a total population of 298,220. It is the 15th most populous county out of 62 in New York. The county encompasses 43 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Dutchess County is 42.5 years. This is 7% higher than the state median of 39.8 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Dutchess County is $99,478. This is 16% higher than the state median of $85,974. It is also 23% higher than the national median of $80,734. The poverty rate stands at 8.4%. This is 40% lower than the state poverty rate of 14.0%. The unemployment rate is 5.2%. This is 18% lower than the state rate of 6.4%. The median home value is $400,600. Housing costs are 5% lower than the state median of $423,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.0x. 69.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 27% higher than the state average of 54.4%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Dutchess County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 66.1% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 15.4%. The Asian population (3.4%) is well below the state average of 9.0%.

Education

41.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 3% higher than the state rate of 40.2%. Nationally, 35.7% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 91.9%. Notably, 19.3% of adults hold a graduate or professional degree, indicating a highly educated workforce.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Dutchess County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2020–2024 5-Year Estimates, with comparisons drawn against New York and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.