Is Ithaca, NY growing?

Name: Growth in Ithaca, NY, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

Ithaca, NY had an estimated 32,814 (±31) residents in 2020–2024, against 30,569 in 2015–2019.

That is a change of +7.3%, a measurable increase.

Its housing went from 12,018 to 16,183 homes (+34.7%), a measurable increase.

1.6% of today’s homes were built in 2020 or later.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Residents now: 32,814 (±31)
Amount of change: +7.3%
Homes change: +34.7%
Built 2020 or later: 1.6%

Residents and homes in Ithaca, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Residents	30,569 (±35)	32,814 (±31)	+7.3%	Measurable increase
Housing units	12,018 (±442)	16,183 (±531)	+34.7%	Measurable increase
Households that rent	74.2% (±2.5 points)	70.4% (±3.0 points)	−3.8 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$1,203 (±$43)	$1,447 (±$69)	+20.3%	No measurable change after inflation
Median home value	$239,100 (±$13,326)	$342,700 (±$15,002)	+43.3%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Growth in Ithaca against Tompkins County, its state and the nation

Change between 2015–2019 and 2020–2024
	Residents	Verdict	Housing units
Ithaca	+7.3%	Measurable increase	+34.7%
Tompkins County	+1.8%	Measurable increase	+10.0%
New York	+1.4%	Measurable increase	+3.2%
United States	+3.1%	Measurable increase	+4.6%

A change in a place’s boundaries between the two periods (an annexation, say) changes its counts as well; the Census Bureau’s figures are for the place as it was drawn in each period.

New homes in Ithaca

Housing units by year built, 2020–2024
Year built	Ithaca	Tompkins County	New York	United States
2020 or later	1.6% (±1.0 points)	1.1%	0.8%	2.0%
2010 to 2019	9.1% (±2.8 points)	8.3%	5.3%	9.4%
2000 to 2009	4.9% (±2.1 points)	7.9%	6.4%	13.6%

10.7% of the homes in Ithaca were built in 2010 or later.

The median age of residents is 23.3 years.

Growth in places near Ithaca

Change in residents between 2015–2019 and 2020–2024
Place	Distance	Residents now	Amount of change	Verdict
Ithaca	—	32,814	+7.3%	Measurable increase
Village of Cayuga Heights	1.8 mi	4,000	+8.4%	Measurable increase
Forest Home	1.8 mi	1,303	+116.8%	Measurable increase
Northwest Ithaca	1.9 mi	2,225	+54.6%	Measurable increase
South Hill	2.4 mi	6,951	+6.1%	Not a measurable change
East Ithaca	2.6 mi	1,918	+1.7%	Not a measurable change
Northeast Ithaca	2.6 mi	2,661	−5.3%	Not a measurable change
Town of Ithaca	2.8 mi	20,968	+5.6%	Measurable increase
Village of Lansing	3.3 mi	3,876	+9.1%	Measurable increase

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Ithaca

Is Ithaca growing?

Ithaca, NY had an estimated 32,814 residents in 2020–2024 and 30,569 in 2015–2019, a change of +7.3%: a measurable increase by the Census Bureau’s test.

How many homes have been added in Ithaca?

The estimated number of housing units went from 12,018 in 2015–2019 to 16,183 in 2020–2024 (+34.7%), a measurable increase.

How much new construction is there in Ithaca?

1.6% of homes in Ithaca were built in 2020 or later and 9.1% between 2010 and 2019.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Ithaca city, Tompkins County, New York (county subdivision:38077, in state:36 county:109).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25001_001E, B25001_001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B25077_001E, B25077_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0017PE, DP04_0017PM, DP04_0018PE, DP04_0018PM, DP05_0018E, DP05_0018M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.