Valley Falls, NY · standard
ZIP Code 12185
Rensselaer County, New York - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 2,037
- 32/sq mi Moderate-density area
- $110,625
- Median income Above-median income area
- $210,900
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 27.3%
- Bachelor's or higher Near-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Valley Falls pairs an upper-quartile household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 13%
- household income, US ZIPs
- 47th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 32
- people per sq mi
- 82%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 12185 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 12185 covers 62.9 square miles in Valley Falls, Rensselaer County, New York (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 2,037 residents on file, a density of 32 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 12185 skews affluent, with a median household income of $110,625 (20% above the average New York ZIP), while per-capita income is $50,479. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 5.2% and unemployment is 1.7%. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $210,900 (44% below the average New York ZIP), and median rent is $1,098; owner occupancy is 82.3%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 27.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 44.8, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 7 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Rensselaer County, so 12185 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 12185, Valley Falls, NY · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
2,037
Population
62.9
Area (sq mi)
32
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 12185?
44.8
Median Age
60.2%
Male
39.8%
Female
2.6%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$110,625
Median Household Income
+20% vs state ZIP avg
$50,479
Per Capita Income
5.2%
Poverty Rate
1.7%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 12185 ranks among New York ZIPs
Valley Falls, NY household income vs. every New York ZIP code
Median household income among 1,626 reporting New York ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$110,625 Top 24% higher than 76% of 1,626 New York ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more New York ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
773housing units
773
Total Housing Units
693
Occupied Units
80
Vacant Units
2.47
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$210,900
Median Home Value
-44% vs state ZIP avg
$1,098
Median Rent
1976
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 17 business establishments in ZIP 12185, employing approximately 53 people with a combined annual payroll of $2,714,000.
17
Businesses
53
Employees
$2.7M
Annual Payroll
1
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | 7 | 41.2% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 12185 vs 12094 →
ZIP 12185 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 12182
Troy (12182)
14,733 residents
- 12170 4,945
Stillwater (12170)
4,945 residents
- 12154 2,818
Schaghticoke (12154)
2,818 residents
- 12094 2,268
Johnsonville (12094)
2,268 residents
- 12185 2,037
Valley Falls (12185)
2,037 residents
- 12121 1,916
Melrose (12121)
1,916 residents
- 12052 1,568
Cropseyville (12052)
1,568 residents
- 12028 1,172
Buskirk (12028)
1,172 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 12185 ranks #5 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 12185 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 12052
Cropseyville (12052)
$118,424 median income
- 12185
Valley Falls (12185)
$110,625 median income
- 12154
Schaghticoke (12154)
$106,136 median income
- 12170
Stillwater (12170)
$102,857 median income
- 12121
Melrose (12121)
$100,461 median income
- 12028
Buskirk (12028)
$96,891 median income
- 12094
Johnsonville (12094)
$92,266 median income
- 12182
Troy (12182)
$56,984 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 12185 ranks #2 of 8 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 12185, both outside NY so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (2,037 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Rensselaer County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 12185 in?
ZIP code 12185 (Valley Falls) is located in Rensselaer County, New York. Rensselaer County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/rensselaer-ny.
What is the population of ZIP code 12185?
ZIP code 12185 in Valley Falls, NY has a population of 2,037 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 12185?
The median household income in ZIP 12185 is $110,625, which is 45% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 12185?
The median home value in ZIP 12185 is $210,900, which is 24% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 12185?
The largest racial group in ZIP 12185 is White at 97.4%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 0.6% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 12185?
ZIP code 12185 has 17 business establishments employing approximately 53 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 12185?
In ZIP code 12185, 56.8% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 27.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 12185?
In ZIP code 12185, approximately 82.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 17.7% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 12185?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 12185 is 5.2% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 12185's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 12185 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Valley Falls, NY ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.