Community ProfilePopulation | Employment | Climate | Transportation | Taxes | Housing | Education | Geography | More data & analysis
Population Characteristics
| City of Ithaca 2000 | City of Ithaca 2004 | Tompkins County 2000 | Tompkins County 2005 | |
| Total Population | 29,287 | 29,952 | 96,501 | 100,018 |
| College Student Pop | 16,915 | 27,205 | ||
| % of Pop: students | 57.76% | 28.19% | ||
| Permanent Population | 12,372 | 69,296 | ||
| % of Pop: Perm Residents | 42.24% | 71.81% |
Educational Attainment for Population 25 years and over 1990 and 2000
| Tompkins Adjusted 1990* | Tompkins Adjusted 2000* | US 1990 | US 2000 | |
| Less than High School Diploma | 15% | 10% | 25% | 20% |
| Bachelors, Professional, Graduate degree | 34% | 42% | 20% | 24% |
Personal Income Trends 1990 to 2000
| Tompkins 1989 | Tompkins 1999 | US 1989 | US 1999 | |
| Median family Income | $50,900 | $53,041 | $47,340 | $50,046 |
More extensive Census 2000 information for Tompkins County
EmploymentTop Ten Employers in Tompkins County -- 2006
| Rank | Employer | Sector | Employees |
| 1 | Cornell University | Private Education | 9,480 |
| 2 | Ithaca College | Private Education | 1,525 |
| 3 | BorgWarner Automotive | Manufacturing | 1,500 |
| 4 | Ithaca City School District | Public Education | 1,200 |
| 5 | Cayuga Medical Center | Health Services | 1,000 |
| 6 | Tompkins County | Local Government | 750 |
| 7 | Wegmans | Retail Trade | 570 |
| 8 | Emerson Power Transmission | Manufacturing | 450 |
| 9 | Franziska Racker Center | Social Services | 420 |
| 10 | City of Ithaca | Local Government | 400 |
| Tompkins County | 13 County Central-ST Region | |
| Civ. Labor Force | 54,700 | 715,100 |
| Employed | 52,900 | 680,600 |
| Unemployed | 1,800 | 34,500 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 4.8% |
| Sector | Jobs | |
| Private Education** | 26% | 12,500 |
| Retail Trade | 11% | 5,200 |
| Health Services | 10% | 4,900 |
| Manufacturing | 8% | 3,900 |
| Leisure & Hospitality | 8% | 3,700 |
| Public Education | 7% | 3,500 |
| State & Federal Gov | 6% | 3,000 |
| Business & Prof Services | 6% | 2,800 |
| Local Government | 5% | 2,200 |
| Finance | 4% | 1,700 |
| Other Services | 3% | 1,400 |
| Mining & Construction | 3% | 1,200 |
| Transportation & Utilities | 2% | 900 |
| Information | 1% | 600 |
| Wholesale | 1% | 500 |
| Total | 100% | 48,000 |
**Adjusted by TCAD to remove student workers from Private Education
For more extensive employment and labor information for Tompkins County and the region see the Department of Labor website.
Climate| Season | Avg. High | Avg. Low |
| Winter | 32 | 13 |
| Spring | 54 | 34 |
| Summer | 78 | 56 |
| Fall | 60 | 38 |
Annual Precipitation
35 inches of Precipitation
Annual Snowfall
67 inches of snow
Source: Northeast Regional Climate Center
Major Highway Connecting Ithaca
New York Route 13
Distance to Major Highways
Interstate 81 - 25 miles
Interstate 86 - 28 miles
| Miles | Major Airlines | |
| Ithaca Tompkins Regional | 4 | Northwest Airlines, USAirways |
| Syracuse Hancock International | 55 | American, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Northwest, United, USAirways |
| Miles | |
| Syracuse, NY | 45 |
| Rochester, NY | 75 |
| Buffalo, NY | 120 |
| Albany, NY | 140 |
| New York City, NY | 175 |
| Philadelphia | 225 |
| Toronto, Ontario | 245 |
| Ottawa, Ontario | 250 |
| Boston, MA | 275 |
| Montreal, Quebec | 310 |
| Washington, DC | 350 |
Mean travel time to work: 17.8 minutes
TaxesRetail Tax Rate in Tompkins County is: 8%
Information about County, municipal and school tax rates
More information on the cost of doing business in New York state and state-by-state comparisons go to
Housing| Tompkins County | $148,750 |
| US Metro Areas | $219,600 |
| Northeast Metros | $271,300 |
Home Ownership rate: 54% including student renters, 64% exclusive of students
Education| Cornell University | 19,500 |
| Ithaca College | 6,350 |
| TC3 | 3,100 |
| Ithaca | 5,380 |
| Dryden | 1,900 |
| Trumansburg | 1,360 |
| Lansing | 1,275 |
| Groton | 1,120 |
| Newfield | 1,020 |
Geography
County Map
Land Area: 476.1 square miles
For more data and analysis see Publications
