Westchester

Explore profiles

Population Estimates and Demography

Westchester is home to 89,000 Jewish adults and 16,000 Jewish children in 56,000 households. These households are home to 137,000 total people, including both Jews and non-Jews in Jewish households. 15% of households in Westchester include a Jewish person.

The average age of adults in Jewish households in Westchester is 49, higher than the average age in the eight-county area. 28% of these adults are seniors over the age of 65. Additionally, 19% of this area's population are children, for a total of 26,000 children and 30,000 seniors.

The percentage of adults in Jewish households by age groups.

    73% of adults in Jewish households in Westchester are married, compared with 62% in the eight-county overall. 8% have never married and 9% are divorced or separated.

    The percentage of adults in Jewish households who are single, married, widowed, or divorced.

      8% of adults in Jewish households in Westchester were born outside of the U.S., and 67% were born in the New York area, a rate higher than in the eight-county area as a whole.

      Poverty and Well-Being

      Westchester has a higher median income compared with that of the eight county area. The share of low-income households is lower compared with the eight-county area as a whole.

      The percentage of Jewish households by income bracket. Income reflects earnings from all members of the household, before taxes and not including government benefits.

        Compared with the eight-county area, the share of Jewish households who are poor or near poor is lower: 6% earn up to two and a half times the federal poverty line. 6,000 people live in poor or near poor households in Westchester.

        15% of households say they can't make ends meet or are just managing, while 52% say they have some extra money or are well off.

        2% of households in Westchester are food-insecure, reporting that they have run out of food at least sometimes in the last year.

        The percentage of Jewish households that, in the past year, have run out of food before they had money to buy more.

            Jewish Engagement

            61% of Jewish adults in Westchester report feeling some or more a part of the Jewish community in New York. 88% feel being Jewish is important to them, greater than the rate across the eight counties.

            35% of Jewish adults are synagogue members, and 17% of Jewish households with children ages 5-17 send at least one to Jewish day school.

            5% of households in Westchester are Orthodox, 15% are Conservative, and 41% are Reform. 39% have no denomination or identify with a group not listed above.

            The percentage of Jewish adults who identify as Orthodox, Conservative, Reform or other/none of the above.
              Jewish Practices and Behaviors

              14% of adults in Jewish households say they attend synagogue at least monthly, and 18% say they attend Jewish programs at least monthly, greater than the rate across the eight counties.

              Jewish behaviors Westchester 8-County Total
              The percentage of adults in Jewish households who celebrate Chanukah. 89% 80%
              The percentage of adults in Jewish households who participate in a Passover seder. 80% 77%
              The percentage of adults in Jewish households who observe Yom Kippur in some way. 74% 70%
              The percentage of adults in Jewish households who mark Shabbat in a way different from other days. 44% 48%
              The percentage of adults in Jewish households who keep a kosher home. 6% 21%
              The percentage of adults in Jewish households who attend Jewish prayer services, at least monthly. 14% 23%