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Wayne County, NY

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
98
2% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$163,400
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+62.3%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$929
national $1,348
Homeownership
80%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.2%
national 3.6%
Household income
$73,914
national $78,538
Median age
43.6 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Rochester, NY.

The cost of living runs about 2% below the national average. The median home is valued at $163,400 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 62% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $929 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.2% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $73,914. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Wayne County, NY saw a net loss of 58 tax-filing households and a net gain of 81 individuals. Against a population of about 90,829, that is a net inflow of about 0.9 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $6M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 796 households, came from Monroe County; the largest outflow, about 693 households, went to Monroe County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 110 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$6M
nominal dollars
Net households
-58
tax returns
Net people
+81
exemptions

+0.9 net people per 1,000 residents (population 90,829)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$124.2M
Moved out$118.2M
Net +$6M (nominal)
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Wayne County within New York

Wayne County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other New York counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Monroe County, NY796$53.1M
  2. 2Ontario County, NY324$17.8M
  3. 3Seneca County, NY68$3.3M
  4. 4Cayuga County, NY65$2.9M
  5. 5Onondaga County, NY46$2.1M
  6. 6Oswego County, NY29$1.7M
  7. 7Erie County, NY28$1.2M
  8. 8Livingston County, NY27$1.7M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Monroe County, NY693$41.5M
  2. 2Ontario County, NY308$15.8M
  3. 3Seneca County, NY73$2.7M
  4. 4Cayuga County, NY64$2.5M
  5. 5Onondaga County, NY36$1.8M
  6. 6Erie County, NY33$1.6M
  7. 7Oswego County, NY32$1.8M
  8. 8Livingston County, NY23$926K
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Monroe County, NY796693+103+$11.6M
Ontario County, NY324308+16+$2.1M
Seneca County, NY6873-5+$596K
Cayuga County, NY6564+1+$363K
Onondaga County, NY4636+10+$304K
Oswego County, NY2932-3-$110K
Erie County, NY2833-5-$441K
Livingston County, NY2723+4+$788K

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: -$53.9M (-1,799 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012-$12.5M-182
2013-$9.3M-506
2014-$12.7M-270
2015-$11.2M-254
2016-$13.9M-329
2017-$13.1M-135
2018-$4.2M-264
2019-$4.6M-181
2020+$5.9M+143
2021+$4.8M-12
2022+$11M+110
2023+$6M+81
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 81 more people moved into Wayne County, NY than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $6M in income (nominal) — in a county of 90,721 people.

Population
90,721
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+0.9
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +9 people.
Net income per resident
+$66
nominal dollars
+$6M total across 90,721 residents.

The rate lets you compare Wayne County, NY with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+886
Deaths
-1,001
Net domestic migration
-71
Net international migration
+90
Total change
-118

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Wayne County, NY run about 2% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $102 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$57,958
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
17% below the U.S. average
Price level
98.4
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 1.6% lower than average
What that income buys
$58,907
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
16% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Rochester, NY metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents94.4
Goods97.4
Utilities131.1
Other services99.2

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Wayne County, NY

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
43.6
years
Median household income
$73,914
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
6% below the U.S. median
College degree
26%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
11.3%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
24 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
88%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 88%Hispanic 5%Black 2%Asian 1%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$163,400
owner-occupied homes
46% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$929
gross rent per month
31% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
80%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+13.1%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+62%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
172new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 76%Multifamily 24%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.2%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
43,743
42,340 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.8%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.6 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Wayne County, NY has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
202417,05627,286101R +23.044,443
202017,45626,2041,371R +19.445,031
201613,47323,3802,834R +25.039,687
201215,73217,2484,567R +4.037,547
200818,18422,239579R +9.941,002
200415,09323,1262,981R +19.541,200
200014,97721,7011,651R +17.538,329

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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