Albany Metro Leads NY in Young Adult Population Gains Since Pandemic
CEG Summer Internship Engagement Program attracts more young adults
Young Adult (18-35) Population Changes from April 1, 2020-July 1, 2024
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA: 1st Most young adult net gains among NY metros
- Schenectady County: 3rd Largest young adult net gain among NY counties
- Albany County: 6th Largest young adult net gain among NY counties
(August 15, 2025) Since the start of the pandemic, the Albany-Schenectady-Troy metropolitan statistical area (MSA) has seen the greatest net gain in young adults among the state’s metro areas, according to a Center for Economic Growth (CEG) analysis of new U.S. Census Bureau statistics. To build on that talent attraction momentum, CEG recently completed its 2025 Summer Internship Engagement Program.
Young Adult population
Between April 1, 2020 and July 1, 2024, the five-county Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA saw its population of young adults between 18 and 35 years old increase by 5,419 (2.4 percent) to 229,240. Among New York’s 13 metro areas, that was the largest five-year net gain of young adults, which was followed by the Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY MSA (+3,949) and Binghamton MSA (+1,924). Between July 1, 2023 and July 1, 2024, the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA’s young adult population increased by 1,387, which was the third largest annual net gain among the state’s MSAs.
At 2,850, Schenectady County had the largest net gain of young adults in Capital Region during the five-year period – the third largest in the state. Albany County had the region’s second largest young adult net gain – and the state’s sixth largest – at 2,614. Suffolk County had the state’s largest young adult net gain since the pandemic started (+11,259), and it was followed by Orange County (+2,880).
CEG Summer Internship Engagement Program
To help the Capital Region retain students who attend any of its 22 colleges and universities as well as others who participate in internships at local businesses, CEG in 2022 launched its Summer Internship Engagement Program. In 2025, the program included five events: Intern Night at the ValleyCats, a street tour of Albany’s historic crimes, a kayaking and paddleboarding adventure in Saratoga Springs, a meetup the Jahnel Group headquarters in downtown Schenectady, and a headshot happy hour at Launchbox‘s flexible warehouse space in Colonie.
Summer interns pose outside The Vandy in downtown Albany mid-historic tour
The 2025 Summer Internship Engagement Program ended on July 28. This cohort included 142 unique interns who attended the events, up 9 percent from the previous year. Those interns came from 20 Capital Region companies, compared to 13 in summer 2024. About 40 percent of the interns came from outside the Capital Region or outside the state or country. The 2025 CEG Summer Internship Engagement Program’s supporting sponsors were Goldman Sachs Ayco, Northeast Shared Services, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Turner Construction. Monaco Cooper Lamme & Carr, PLLC was a contributing sponsor.
“The Capital Region has many extraordinary and beautiful college and university campuses, but many students don’t know the treasures that can be found off those premises. We launched the CEG Summer Internship Engagement Program to help students interning at local companies discover the rich places and people they otherwise may have never encountered. It’s like a treasure hunt: they find golden opportunities to meet new people while having fun and learning about the area, and our employers find talent more engaged in the Capital Region, said CEG President and CEO Mark Eagan.
Summer inters at the Kayak Shak in Saratoga Springs.
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ABOUT CEG
The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) accelerates economic opportunity in Albany/NY’s Capital Region by developing and implementing strategies to attract, expand and create businesses and jobs. As the regional economic development organization, affiliated with the Capital Region Chamber, CEG is a catalyst that works with partners and stakeholders to shape a vibrant, thriving future.
CEG houses the region’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center, Manufacturing Solutions, which provides strategic guidance to small-to-middle sized companies in manufacturing and technology sectors. www.ceg.org
