Population
1,237 residents
Census ACS 2023 - New York
City profile · New York · Census ACS 2023
Bard College, NY
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Bard College - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 1,237
- Residents
- $210,483
- Median income
- $1,979
- Median rent (state)
Bard College - the verdict
Bard College ranks in the 98th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 98th
- percentile, household income
- 83rd
- percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bard College, NY
1,237 people live in Bard College, New York - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $210,483 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.0%. The median resident age is 19.8 years. Educational attainment runs 87.5% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 43.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
New York carries a cost-of-living premium: the state registers 107.9 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Above Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,979 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $285 across New York, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Bard College report an average commute of 6.3 minutes, with 13.9% driving alone and 36.5% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 88.3 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
Median Household Income
$210,483 /yr
Poverty 0.0%
Cost of Living Index (state)
107.9 (US=100)
Above Average - BEA RPP 2024, New York average
How does Bard College compare to other US cities?
Here's how Bard College stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income 98% higher than other cities
Median rent 83% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Bard College's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in New York, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.
98th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Income distribution context
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 87.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 0.0%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 43.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
1,237
Median Income
$210,483
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
19.8
Poverty Rate
0.0%
Labor force participation
43.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
87.5%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
6.3 minutes
Drive Alone
13.9%
Carpool
11.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
38.0%
Work from Home
36.5%
Based on 518 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for New York - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$130
avg/month
Natural Gas
$90
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$65
avg/month
Total Utilities
$285
estimated/month
Estimates reflect New York state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a New York state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Bard College sits in
Cost of Living Index
107.9
Above Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,979/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
88.3 / 100
Very High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in New York
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Bard College's 1,237 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide
Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Bard College's $210,483 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Bard College compares to nearby New York cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Bard College (this city) | 1,237 | $210,483 |
| Lincolndale | 1,235 | $200,156 |
| Oriskany | 1,233 | $66,042 |
| South Lansing | 1,233 | $162,846 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS NY OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Bard College, NY?
What is the population of Bard College, NY? +
Bard College, NY counts 1,237 residents according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in Bard College, NY? +
In Bard College, the typical household earns $210,483 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the cost of living in Bard College? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Bard College; the closest available measure is the New York state average, a cost of living index of 107.9 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Above Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within New York vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities EditorialEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.