Many Capital Region Communities Were among NY’s Fastest-Growing in 2017

Three of New York’s top 10 fastest-growing cities were in the Capital Region in 2017. Even more, on a year-over-year basis, the eight-county region also housed the state’s second and third fastest-growing towns and fastest-growing village, according to a Center for Economic Growth (CEG) analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau data.

Out of the Capital Region’s 10 cities, three (Saratoga Springs, Schenectady and Glens Falls) experienced population gains in 2017 on a year-over-year basis. Thirty-three towns and seven villages in the region grew over the year. On a year-over-year basis, New York’s fastest-growing city was Ithaca (1 percent) and its fastest-growing town was Geneva (4.1 percent).

Population Highlights

• Cities
o Saratoga Springs regained its status as the region’s fastest-growing city with an annual growth rate of 0.7 percent, the fourth highest among cities statewide. It last ranked No. 1 in the region in 2014.
o Schenectady ended two years of declines with an annual 0.5 percent gain, the second highest rate in the region and the fifth highest in the state.
o Cohoes’ two-year streak as New York’s fastest-growing city ended in 2017 with a 0.3 percent annual decline.
o Hudson experienced a 1 percent contraction, the second-largest annual decline among cities statewide.

• Towns
o Stillwater was the state’s second fastest-growing town with an annual growth rate of 3.6 percent. In 2016, it ranked 16th.
o Ballston was the state’s third fastest-growing town with a 3.5 percent annual growth rate. In 2016, it ranked 143rd.
o Malta’s rank among towns statewide dropped to 16th in 2017 from second a year earlier.
o Colonie, the region’s largest town, grew over the year by 0.6 percent.
• Villages
o Round Lake was the state’s fastest-growing village with an annual growth rate of 8.4 percent, but that only translated into a 53-person gain.
o Delanson was the region’s second fastest-growing village and the state’s 10th with an annual growth rate of 2.4 percent.
o Waterford, which in 2016 was the state’s fastest-growing village, ranked 14th in 2017 with an annual growth rate of 2.1 percent.
o Colonie, the region’s largest village, experienced a 0.3 percent annual decline.

CEG Solutions

To help Capital Region accelerate its growth, CEG is involved in the following activities:

• Supporting the Capital Region Economic Development Council in its effort to advance placemaking projects that make cities, towns and villages more attractive to employers and workers.
• Sponsoring the Capital Region’s first Manufacturing Intermediary Apprenticeship Program to help local manufacturers build their talent pipelines for high-skill positions.
• Helping Hudson Valley Community College create the region’s first short-term, stackable credential training program for workers interested in joining the manufacturing workforce.
• Leveraging its Talent Connect program to enhance employers’ efforts to attract and retain skilled workers in the region.
• Bringing talent to the region by representing Capital Region employers at job fairs throughout the Northeast – including about 20 in 2018.
• Attracting companies and talent to the region by representing the key industries, such as semiconductor, life sciences, game development and clean tech, at trade conferences worldwide.
• Providing technical assistance to established manufacturers and startups to help them operate more efficiently, tap new markets and grow in the region.

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