The demographic makeup of Putnam County is similar to the composition of the entire Mid-Hudson Valley in many areas but there are some noteworthy differences between the county and the region as a whole. In terms of income, education, and household size Putnam County households differ from Mid-Hudson Valley households. For instance, as in 2002, more than three in four people living in the county reside in households with a yearly income of more than $50,000. In contrast, a smaller proportion of only 58% of the region’s households earn $50,000 or more per year.
In fact, nearly four in ten Putnam County residents report an annual household income of $100,000 or more. This compares with just a quarter of all Mid-Hudson Valley households earning a six-figure income.
Over half of all Putnam County residents do not have a college degree while 46% are college graduates. Residents of Putnam County are more likely to have a college degree than people living throughout the Mid-Hudson region. Across the region those without a college degree outnumber college graduates by a wide margin.
As in 2002, the average household size in Putnam County is larger than the average Mid-Hudson Valley household. It is 3.2 compared with the regional average of 2.8. Five years ago, the average household size in Putnam County was 3.1 while the size of the average Mid-Hudson Valley home was 2.9. Among households with children, the average household size in Putnam County is 4.2 the same as it is in the Mid-Hudson Valley as a whole.
The racial and ethnic composition of the county is more homogenous than the Mid-Hudson region as a whole. 88% of Putnam County residents categorize themselves as white compared with 83% of the region’s residents. Only 3% of Putnam County residents are African American compared with 7% of the region as a whole. 9% of Putnam County residents are Latino compared with 10% of Mid-Hudson Valley residents.
Putnam County households are just as likely to include children as the average household in the Mid-Hudson region. 47% of Putnam County households include at least one child compared with 44% of all households regionally. 14% of Putnam County households have a family member who is under age five which is comparable to the regional proportion of 15%. 37% of Putnam County households include school age children which compares with 38% of households in the region overall with children age five to eighteen.
Putnam County households that include children are less likely to be low income than the average Mid-Hudson Valley household with children. Just 9% of Putnam County children live in households where the total household yearly income is less than $30,000. This compares with 21% of children in the entire Mid-Hudson region.
Putnam County parents are just as likely to be single parents as are parents across the Mid-Hudson Valley. 10% of county households with children are led by one parent compared with 11% of households across the region.
Putnam County has the smallest proportion of uninsured households in the Mid-Hudson region. Still, 14% of all households have at least one member who has experienced a gap in coverage over the past year, and 7% of households in the county have someone who is not presently insured. These figures have remained fairly unchanged over the course of the past five years.
There has not been any progress in lowering the rate of Putnam County’s uninsured children since 2002. As was the case five years ago, 8% of all households with children have at least one child who has not had continuous coverage over the past year. 5% do not currently have insurance compared with 2% who were uninsured in 2002. Putnam County has the lowest rate of children who experience a gap in the region, and it also has one of the lowest proportions of currently uninsured children in the Mid-Hudson Valley.
