Onondaga County, New York Eviction Risk: High

Onondaga County carries an average eviction-risk score of 8.4/10 (High) across its 26 cities, placing it in the lower-risk third of New York state. With 48 counties scoring higher and only 11 scoring lower, landlords here face genuine exposure, but the market is meaningfully less treacherous than the state's most difficult urban cores. Average rent sits at $1,079 against a rent burden of 31% of income, and 46.5% of occupied housing is renter-occupied, giving landlords a broad tenant pool alongside elevated financial-stress indicators.

The county-wide spread, from a low of 6/10 to a high of 7.4/10, tells landlords that location within the county matters as much as New York state policy. A portfolio assembled without attention to city-level scores will land in very different operating conditions than one curated around the lower-risk pockets.

The cities inside Onondaga County

The highest-risk communities cluster at 7.4/10 and include Baldwinsville (population 7,715), Solvay (population 6,544), Manlius, Village Green, East Syracuse, Marcellus, and Camillus. These seven communities share the county's peak score and account for a sizable share of its rental inventory. Landlords active in any of them should budget for the full range of New York eviction risk's eviction timeline, not the best-case scenario.

Syracuse, the county seat and by far the largest city with a population of 146,384, scores 7.3/10, one notch below the peak. North Syracuse also lands at 8.1/10. Fairmount offers the softest conditions in the DATA at 7.7/10, while De Witt and Radisson each sit at 8.2/10. The gap between Fairmount and Baldwinsville or Solvay may seem narrow in absolute terms, but in practice it represents meaningfully different delinquency frequency and vacancy pressure. Risk is hyper-local, and the city comparison grid below is the starting point for any acquisition decision.

State-level laws that apply here

New York eviction risk imposes some of the most tenant-protective statutes in the country, and every Onondaga County landlord operates under them. Under RPAPL § 711(2), a nonpayment of rent case begins with a 14-day notice. Holdover timelines are longer and scale with tenancy length: 30 days for tenancies under one year, 60 days for tenancies of one to two years, and 90 days for tenancies of two years or more, all under RPL § 226-c. A material lease violation triggers a shorter 10-day notice under RPAPL § 711(1), but that is rarely the path that resolves fastest. Understanding the New York eviction process in full, including the courthouse timeline after notice is served, is essential before the first filing. An uncontested case runs 30 to 90 days from filing; a contested matter can stretch 90 to 210 days.

Court filing fees range from $45 to $210, sheriff lockout fees from $50 to $200, and attorney fees from $1,000 to $4,000 depending on complexity. New York also requires just cause for many terminations, and rent stabilization coverage varies by locality. Reviewing New York eviction costs and New York tenant protections before structuring a lease in any Onondaga County community is time well spent. Source-of-income discrimination is a protected class under state law, administered by the NY State Division of Human Rights, which affects tenant-screening decisions across the county.

With an average poverty rate of 21% and nearly half of all households renting, Onondaga County presents a high-volume tenant market that rewards careful city selection; the grid above breaks down every scored community so landlords can compare conditions before committing capital.