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ZIP Code12047

Cohoes, NY

Albany County · New York · United States
Home to 23,406 people across 8.841 square miles.

Eastern78 ZIPs in county

At a glance

12047 by the numbers

Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.

Population
23k
±737 · top 25% nationally
Median household income
$66,970
US median $70,109 · 45th pctile
Median home value
$237,200
US median $207,500 · 58th pctile
Median age
37.3
US median 42 years
Population density
2,647/mi²
top 25% most dense
Land area
8.841 mi²
plus 1.431 mi² water

Location

Where 12047 is

42.784054, -73.726219 · Census ZCTA internal pointOpen larger map →
Coordinates42.784054, -73.726219
Time zoneAmerica/New_York
CountyAlbany County
StateNew York (NY)
Land area8.841 mi²
Coordinate sourceCensus ZCTA internal point

Local time

America/New_York

—:—:—

Current weather

Live from the National Weather Service

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Distance to major cities

Straight-line, computed from coordinates

Boston, MA138.8 mi
New York, NY143.8 mi
Philadelphia, PA209.4 mi
Chicago, IL712.1 mi

People

Who lives in 12047

23,406 residents in 9,756 households, averaging 2.4 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 23.9% of residents.

Age distribution

Share of residents by age band

Under 1823.9%
18-2410.3%
25-3413.0%
35-4413.9%
45-548.4%
55-6413.2%
65+17.4%

Households

Composition and size

Total households9,756
Average household size2.4
Family households56.6%
Living alone32.8%
Median age37.3 years
Households with internet85.9%

Race & ethnicity

Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.

White71.5%
Black11.0%
Asian5.2%
Native American0.1%
Pacific Islander0.1%
Other1.1%
Two or more11.0%
Hispanic / Latino7.1%

Income & work

What people earn in 12047

The median household here earns $66,970 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 12047 ahead of 45% of American ZIP codes. 20.5% of residents live below the poverty line.

Compared to the US

This ZIP against the national median

Median household income$66,970
LowestHighest
Higher than 45% of all US ZIP codes.
Median household income$66,970 ±$4,196
Per capita income$40,889
Poverty rate20.5%
Unemployment rate4.8%
Labor force participation62.5%

Household income distribution

Share of households in each bracket

<$25k17.1%
$25-50k17.9%
$50-75k19.0%
$75-100k11.4%
$100-150k16.6%
$150-200k8.8%
$200k+9.2%

Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 32.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 91.2% finished high school.

Housing

Homes and rent in 12047

A typical home is valued at $237,200, and median rent runs $1,213 a month. Ownership is close to even at 47.3% owned, and the typical building went up in 1959.

Costs

Typical values

Median home value$237,200
Median gross rent$1,213/mo
Median year built1959
Housing units10,963
Vacancy rate11.0%

Own vs. rent

Of 9,756 occupied units

Owner-occupied47.3%
Renter-occupied52.7%
Owner households4,615
Renter households5,141

Building types

Units by structure size

Single family39.6%
2-4 units32.2%
5-19 units19.4%
20+ units8.6%
Mobile / other0.2%

Getting to work

How 12047 commutes

70.6% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 24.7 minutes.

Mode of transport

Workers 16 and older

Drove alone70.6%
Carpooled13.7%
Public transit1.7%
Walked1.4%
Bike0.5%
Worked from home11.8%

Travel time

Mean commute 24.7 minutes

<10 min11.5%
10-1932.1%
20-2929.6%
30-4419.2%
45-593.0%
60+4.6%

Overview

Understanding ZIP code 12047

ZIP code 12047 is assigned to Cohoes, NY, and falls within Albany County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 23,406 people live inside it.

At 2,647 residents per square mile spread over 8.841 square miles, 12047 reads as a suburban area. It is a mid-sized postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.

Household earnings track close to the national picture. The median of $66,970 puts 12047 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 45% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.

Living here

What life in Cohoes looks like

Housing in 12047 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $237,200 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,213 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 47.3% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.

The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 39.6% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1959, making the housing here mid-century.

The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 37.3 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.4 people, and 56.6% are family households.

Getting to work takes 24.7 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 70.6% of workers, while 11.8% work from home. Commute patterns are one of the better proxies for how a place actually functions day to day.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Cohoes, NY

Cohoes is largely suburban in character. Accommodation here skews toward mid-range chain hotels and extended-stay properties positioned near highway junctions and business parks, which suits anyone driving in or visiting for work rather than sightseeing.

Median rent in 12047 is $1,213 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Boston, MA is about 138.8 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.

Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.

Book a Hotel →

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Practical uses

What ZIP code 12047 is used for

Beyond addressing mail, 12047 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.

For anyone weighing a move, 12047 offers a compact profile of Cohoes: 23,406 residents, a median household income of $66,970, 32.7% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 4.8%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.

One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 12047 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Cohoes may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.

Nearby

ZIP codes near 12047

The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every New York ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.

More in Albany County

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Questions

Common questions about 12047

What city is ZIP code 12047 in?
12047 serves Cohoes, New York, in Albany County, United States.
What is the population of 12047?
About 23,406 people live in ZIP code 12047, according to the US Census Bureau's 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The margin of error on that figure is ±737. That works out to roughly 2,647 people per square mile.
What is the average income in 12047?
The median household income in 12047 is $66,970 per year, compared with a US median of $70,109. Per capita income is $40,889. Median income is more representative than an average because it isn't skewed by a small number of very high earners.
How expensive is housing in 12047?
The median home value is $237,200 and median gross rent is $1,213 a month. 47.3% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.
Is 12047 a good place to live?
That depends on what you're looking for, but here are the facts: 32.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the unemployment rate is 4.8%, and the median age is 37.3. The average commute is 24.7 minutes. We publish the numbers and let you weigh them.
What time zone is 12047 in?
12047 observes Eastern Time (America/New_York). This zone observes daylight saving time.
How big is ZIP code 12047?
ZIP code 12047 covers 8.841 square miles of land plus 1.431 square miles of water, per the US Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer files.
Is 12047 urban, suburban or rural?
By population density, 12047 reads as a suburban area. It holds 2,647 people per square mile across 8.841 square miles of land. For reference, densities above 10,000 per square mile generally indicate an urban core, 1,000–3,000 is typically suburban, and under 200 is rural. These are rules of thumb rather than official designations — the Census Bureau classifies urban and rural areas by census block, not by ZIP code.
How much is rent in 12047?
Median gross rent in 12047 is $1,213 a month, according to the American Community Survey. Gross rent includes contract rent plus the estimated cost of utilities and fuels, so it is closer to what a tenant actually pays than a headline rent figure. Of 9,756 occupied homes here, 5,141 are rented.
What is the commute like from 12047?
The average one-way commute from 12047 takes about 24.7 minutes. The most common way to travel is drove alone, used by 70.6% of workers aged 16 and over. Commute figures cover people who were employed and working outside the home during the survey period.
How many people work in 12047?
About 10,933 residents of 12047 are employed. Labor force participation stands at 62.5% and the unemployment rate is 4.8%. Note this counts residents by where they live, not by where they work — a ZIP with many offices can have far more jobs than employed residents.
Where should I stay when visiting 12047?
Accommodation in and around Cohoes, NY ranges with the character of the area. See the 'Where to stay' section on this page for local context, and use the live search there for current availability and pricing.
Does 12047 cover more than one city or county?
This page lists Cohoes as the primary place and Albany County as the county. ZIP codes follow mail delivery routes rather than municipal or county lines, so a single code can straddle boundaries, and USPS also recognises alternate acceptable city names for many codes. If you need the definitive answer for a specific street address, the USPS ZIP Code Lookup is the authority.
Can ZIP code 12047 change?
Yes. USPS adjusts ZIP codes as delivery volumes shift — codes are occasionally split, merged, retired or newly created, and boundaries move more often than most people assume. The Census Bureau's ZCTA definitions, which underpin the demographic figures on this page, are redrawn only once a decade, so the two can drift apart between censuses.

Methodology

Where this data comes from

  • Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
  • Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 12047. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
  • Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
  • Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
  • Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
On accuracy. ACS figures are survey estimates, not counts. The margin of error shown alongside the population figure means the true value has a 90% chance of falling in that range. For small ZIP codes the error can be large relative to the estimate — treat the direction as more reliable than the exact number. This page reports data for ZCTA 12047, the Census approximation of the USPS delivery area.