Brainard, NY Demographics

Population 265 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
Brainard, NY map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Brainard

Household size in Brainard

Household size, people per household
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–102.192.442.682.68
2010–142.312.452.722.73
2015–192.152.452.692.71
2020–242.162.332.652.65
Change−0.03−0.11−0.03−0.03
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Households in Brainard are small: just 2.16 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home.

Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).

Median age in Brainard

Median age, years
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–1045.339.838.337.7
2010–1448.340.739.038.6
2015–1952.641.340.239.6
2020–2453.541.740.840.1
Change+8.2+1.9+2.5+2.3
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Brainard skews older: half of its residents are older than 53.5, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 45.3, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.

Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).

Single-parent households in Brainard

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–1010.6%10.5%13.1%12.3%
2010–1410.7%10.0%12.7%12.3%
2015–193.7%10.1%11.6%11.6%
2020–245.3%9.8%11.6%11.6%
Change−5.2 pts−0.7 pts−1.5 pts−0.6 pts
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Single parents head only 5.3% of households in Brainard, well below the national share of 11.6%.

Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).

Housing in Brainard

Renters in Brainard

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–1024.6%33.8%44.8%33.3%
2010–1420.2%34.8%46.2%35.6%
2015–1922.3%36.1%46.2%36.0%
2020–2411.6%35.8%45.7%34.8%
Change−13.0 pts+2.0 pts+0.9 pts+1.5 pts
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Only 11.6% of households in Brainard rent their homes, far below the national share of 34.8%, so most residents are owners who tend to stay put. Among homeowners, 48.3% have no mortgage at all, above the national share of 39.8%.

Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).

Vacant homes in Brainard

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–1026.2%10.9%10.3%11.4%
2010–1422.7%11.7%10.4%11.4%
2015–1929.0%13.3%11.0%11.1%
2020–2417.9%9.3%9.7%9.6%
Change−8.3 pts−1.5 pts−0.6 pts−1.8 pts
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Vacancy is high in Brainard: 17.9% of homes are empty, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.

Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).

Age of homes in Brainard

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–101954196219561974
2010–141949196419571975
2015–191950196619581977
2020–241963196919611980
Change+10+7+5+6
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The housing in Brainard is old by national standards: the median home dates to 1963, against 1980 for the U.S., so buyers will find more older houses, some of them due for updates.

Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).

Rent in Brainard

Rent, per month
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–10$740$882$1,095$965
2010–14$888$975$1,201$1,040
2015–19$1,032$1,114$1,426$1,213
2020–24$1,102$1,360$1,794$1,571
Change+$362+$478+$698+$606
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The median renter in Brainard pays $1,102 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 25.7% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.

Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).

Education in Brainard

Bachelor's degrees in Brainard

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–1040.9%32.9%31.9%28.4%
2010–1439.0%34.4%33.4%29.6%
2015–1945.3%37.3%36.2%32.1%
2020–2439.1%42.2%39.8%35.6%
Change−1.8 pts+9.4 pts+8.0 pts+7.2 pts
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College degrees are a bit more common in Brainard than nationally: 39.1% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. Even so, the share is lower than in the wider Albany area (42.2%).

Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

High school graduates in Brainard

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–1095.8%90.4%84.0%84.9%
2010–1494.6%91.8%84.9%86.1%
2015–1993.2%91.8%86.5%87.7%
2020–2495.2%93.0%87.3%89.3%
Change−0.5 pts+2.6 pts+3.3 pts+4.3 pts
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High school completion is high in Brainard: 95.2% of adults 25 and older have a diploma or equivalent, well above the national rate of 89.3%.

High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).

Jobs in Brainard

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodBrainardAlbany areaNew YorkU.S.
2006–105.1%6.2%7.7%8.1%
2010–146.8%7.5%9.2%9.4%
2015–193.4%4.8%5.7%5.6%
2020–243.4%5.0%6.6%5.4%
Change−1.7 pts−1.2 pts−1.2 pts−2.7 pts
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Jobs have been easier to find in Brainard than nationally: unemployment was 3.4%, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.

Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).

Brainard compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Brainard2.1653.55.3%11.6%17.9%1963$1,10239.1%95.2%3.4%
West Lebanon2.2750.75.6%11.8%14.2%1978$1,37030.2%93.6%7.4%
Malden Bridge2.2657.55.2%2.6%16.6%1953$1,19451.5%94.8%3.1%
East Nassau2.4045.46.4%17.2%11.2%1977$1,45227.6%90.6%3.6%
Old Chatham2.0158.15.8%10.6%17.9%1959$1,01351.2%94.5%4.5%
East Chatham2.1253.38.2%13.8%20.7%1959$1,26651.6%98.2%3.8%
North Chatham2.3352.26.3%7.6%16.8%1963$1,31744.3%93.7%4.7%
Morey Park2.3943.77.5%21.0%14.7%1972$1,16628.6%90.6%0.8%
Nassau2.3345.18.6%16.6%11.2%1965$1,52533.3%91.2%2.9%
Hoag Corners2.5637.65.4%18.8%12.1%1977$1,46631.4%92.8%0.3%
New Lebanon2.1950.35.4%13.3%20.4%1972$1,05433.1%96.8%5.7%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Oak Ridge, NY · West Bottom, VA · Concord, PA · Concord, TN · Wesleyville, KY · Weskan, KS · Cord, AR · Corley, TX · Lake Pleasant, NY · Oldtown, KY

About these numbers

Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Brainard. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.

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