Ithaca, NY: Population, ZIP Codes & Nearby Cities

Looking for facts about Ithaca? It is an incorporated city in Tompkins County, New York, with an estimated 55,137 people according to our dataset. It lies at 42.444°N, 76.503°W in Eastern time. The sections below cover its size, ZIP codes, neighbors and distances.

What are the key facts about Ithaca, NY?

What is the population of Ithaca, NY?

Ithaca has an estimated population of 55,137. That makes it the 24th largest of the 880 places we list in New York, and the largest place in its county. The typical place in New York has about 2,696 residents, so Ithaca is roughly 20.5 times the size of a typical neighbor in the state.

Estimates for places of this size carry wider margins of error than those for big cities, so treat the figure as a guide to scale. Our guide to understanding city population numbers explains why sources disagree.

Places in New York with a similar population include Middletown (58,592), White Plains (58,109), Kingston (54,791), Watertown (53,163), Levittown (51,634). Comparing these pages is a quick way to see how Ithaca differs from communities of the same scale.

How dense is Ithaca?

Ithaca has about 5,721 people per square mile (2,209 per square kilometer), which we classify as an urban core. Within New York, it is denser than about 88% of the listed places. Streets at this level typically mix apartment buildings, mixed-use blocks and frequent transit, and many errands can be done on foot. Read how to interpret population density to see how we draw these lines.

What ZIP codes does Ithaca use?

The postal data lists 3 ZIP codes for Ithaca: 14853, 14850, 14851. Several codes in one place usually reflect separate delivery areas, post offices or large buildings with their own code. Codes beginning with 1 are assigned to the Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania). Learn more in our guide to how ZIP codes work or check any code with the ZIP code lookup.

What time zone is Ithaca in?

Ithaca is in the Eastern time zone, which is UTC−5 from Coordinated Universal Time in standard time (IANA zone America/New_York). The area observes daylight saving time, so clocks move forward in March and back in November. The nearest listed place in a different time zone is La Porte, IN, about 527 miles away, which gives a sense of how far the nearest zone boundary may be. Current local time: see the Eastern time hub. For the rules behind these zones, read US time zones explained.

Where is Ithaca located in New York?

Ithaca lies in the central part of New York, at 42.444° north latitude and 76.503° west longitude. The state capital, Albany, is about 138 miles to the east. The closest listed place in another state is Sayre, PA, roughly 32 miles to the south, which shows how near Ithaca is to a state line. For big-city services, the nearest place with more than 100,000 people is Binghamton, NY, 39 miles to the southeast.

Which cities are near Ithaca, NY?

The closest listed place to Ithaca is South Hill, NY, 2.4 miles to the south. Of the eight nearest places below, 1 is in the same county. Distances are straight-line (great-circle) miles measured between place centers; see how distance is calculated.

Which county is Ithaca in?

Ithaca is in Tompkins County, which has the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code 36109. The county contains 10 places in our data, 2 of which have their own page here and 8 smaller communities that appear only in county and state lists. Other places in the county include South Hill (6,551), Cayuga Heights (3,604), Northeast Ithaca (2,811), East Ithaca (1,886), Trumansburg (1,717). Codes like this one help separate places that share a name; see the guide to counties and FIPS codes.

How far is Ithaca from major US cities?

Among six major hubs, Ithaca is closest to New York, NY at about 180 miles and farthest from Los Angeles, CA at about 2,319 miles in a straight line. Road distances are usually 10 to 30 percent longer. Try the distance calculator for any other pair.

Are there other places called Ithaca?

Yes. Our data lists 3 other places named Ithaca: Ithaca, MI (2,766), Ithaca, NE (148), Ithaca, OH (129). When you search for Ithaca, add the state or county so you land on the right one. This page covers the Ithaca in Tompkins County, New York.

Planning a move to Ithaca?

If you are weighing Ithaca, start with the practical numbers: how far it is from where you live, whether it changes your time zone, and how its size and density compare with your current city. Use the distance calculator to measure the trip from where you live. The radius search tool lists every place within any distance of it. Our checklist for comparing cities explains what to check next.

Where to go next

Population and density come from a compiled dataset and are estimates. They may differ from official Census Bureau counts. Verify important figures at census.gov.