Rensselaer County, NY elected officials: county legislators or supervisors, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Rensselaer County: 23 seats on 5 elected bodies. 2 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
County Legislature or Board of Supervisors
Rensselaer County Legislature
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 67 local governments in Rensselaer County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships (8 municipal, 14 township)
22
0
School districts (school boards)
12
0
Special districts (elected boards)
32
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (1 in Rensselaer County), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Rensselaer County
160,332people
40.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$87,915 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
11.8%below the U.S.: 12.5%
37.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$258,400median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.3%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
5.6%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
3.4%U.S.: 8.4%
47.5%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
21.8%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 6.2% · White 78.7% · Black 6.5% · Asian 3.2% · Other or more than one race 5.4% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Rensselaer County
3.8%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.6%. New York: 4.5%.
79,587people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
82,747in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.8%
3,160
79,587
82,747
August 2026
3.9%
3,234
79,844
83,078
July 2026
3.9%
3,199
79,838
83,037
June 2026
3.7%
3,024
79,310
82,334
May 2026
3.7%
3,015
78,683
81,698
April 2026
3.6%
2,934
78,722
81,656
March 2026
4.1%
3,353
78,882
82,235
February 2026
4.5%
3,700
78,384
82,084
January 2026
4.1%
3,352
78,530
81,882
December 2025
3.4%
2,809
78,998
81,807
November 2025
3.3%
2,748
79,650
82,398
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.6%
2,935
78,791
81,726
August 2025
3.8%
3,118
78,512
81,630
July 2025
3.7%
3,060
79,279
82,339
June 2025
3.3%
2,679
79,598
82,277
May 2025
3.0%
2,401
78,634
81,035
April 2025
2.9%
2,388
78,964
81,352
March 2025
3.6%
2,939
77,715
80,654
February 2025
4.0%
3,247
77,144
80,391
January 2025
3.8%
3,077
77,243
80,320
December 2024
3.1%
2,503
77,249
79,752
November 2024
3.1%
2,455
77,776
80,231
October 2024
3.0%
2,415
78,147
80,562
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.5%
2,855
78,593
81,448
2024
3.4%
2,770
77,874
80,644
2023
3.2%
2,613
78,197
80,810
2022
3.2%
2,520
77,139
79,659
2021
4.5%
3,584
76,056
79,640
2020
6.8%
5,539
75,482
81,021
2019
3.7%
3,006
79,183
82,189
2018
3.9%
3,192
78,801
81,993
2017
4.4%
3,633
78,090
81,723
2016
4.4%
3,586
78,235
81,821
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. New York's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 4.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Rensselaer County
167.0 per 100,0002024. New York: 389.1.
1,134.7 per 100,0002024. New York: 1,720.0.
1murders2024, 295 violent crimes in all.
2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2024
295
167.0
2,004
1,134.7
2022
410
234.4
2,701
1,544.5
2018
347
202.7
2,331
1,361.5
2017
400
228.5
2,627
1,500.7
2016
433
249.0
2,728
1,568.7
By police agency (8)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office
2025
3
119
55,942
Troy Police Department
2025
175
1,161
51,004
East Greenbush Town Police Department
2025
5
244
16,600
North Greenbush Town Police Department
2025
11
141
13,497
Schodack Town Police Department
2024
8
32
11,318
Rensselaer City Police Department
2025
16
81
9,516
Hoosick Falls Village Police Department
2022
4
17
3,191
Nassau Village Police Department
2020
1
5
1,094
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in New York · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.56 per 1,000 residents2024, 8 agencies serving 162,602 people.
253sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
31civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (8), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Troy Police Department
126
9
50,372
Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office
45
7
57,750
Rensselaer City Police Department
27
6
9,343
East Greenbush Town Police Department
22
9
16,371
North Greenbush Town Police Department
20
0
13,240
Schodack Town Police Department
8
0
11,318
Hoosick Falls Village Police Department
5
0
3,134
Nassau Village Police Department
0
0
1,074
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
253
1.56
31
8
2023
260
1.62
28
8
2018
237
1.51
35
8
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Rensselaer County County Clerk?
Frank Merola is the County Clerk of Rensselaer County, New York.
Who is the Rensselaer County District Attorney?
Mary Pat Donnelly is the District Attorney of Rensselaer County, New York. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Rensselaer County Sheriff?
Kyle Bourgault is the Sheriff of Rensselaer County, New York.
Who are the Rensselaer County commissioners?
Steve McLaughlin (County Executive); Jessica Ashley (County Legislator, District 1); Mark J. Fleming (County Legislator, District 1); Gary Galuski (County Legislator, District 1); Nina M. Nichols (County Legislator, District 1); Carole C. Weaver (County Legislator, District 1); Ken Zalewski (County Legislator, District 1); Robert W. Bayly (County Legislator, District 2); Thomas Grant (County Legislator, District 2); Kelly Hoffman (County Legislator, District 2); Mary Frances Sabo (County Legislator, District 2); Dan Casale (County Legislator, District 3); Kenneth H. Herrington (County Legislator, District 3); William Maloney (County Legislator, District 3); Thomas Choquette (County Legislator, District 4); Bill Film (County Legislator, District 4); Robert R. Loveridge (County Legislator, District 4); Bruce Patire (County Legislator, District 5); Jeffrey Wysocki (County Legislator, District 5); Lark Barnett Rutecki (County Legislator, District 6).
What is the population of Rensselaer County?
About 160,332 people, with a median age of 40.1; the median household income is $87,915 and 11.8% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Rensselaer County?
3.8% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,160 people unemployed in a labor force of 82,747, against 3.6% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Rensselaer County?
67 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 8 municipal, 14 township, 12 school district and 32 special district governments.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from each county's own website (its legislature, elected-officials and board of elections pages and rosters); in New York City, the City Council's member list and the NYC Board of Elections' certified 2023 and 2025 results; officials appointed since a page was posted may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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