Rockland County, New York

Rockland County
The Hudson River looking southward from Hook Mountain State Park
Location within the U.S. state of New York
New York's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°09′N 74°02′W / 41.15°N 74.03°W / 41.15; -74.03
Country United States
State New York
FoundedFebruary 23, 1798 (1798-02-23)
Named afterIts rocky terrain
SeatNew City
Largest townRamapo
Government
  County ExecutiveEd Day (R)
Area
  Total
199.34 sq mi (516.3 km2)
  Land173.55 sq mi (449.5 km2)
  Water25.79 sq mi (66.8 km2)  13%
Population
 (2020)
  Total
338,329
  Estimate 
(2024)
348,144
  Density2,006/sq mi (775/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Area code845
Congressional district17th
Websitewww.rocklandcountyny.gov

Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state's third-most densely populated county outside New York City after Nassau and neighboring Westchester counties. The county seat and largest hamlet is New City. Rockland County is accessible via both the New York State Thruway, which crosses the Hudson River to Westchester via the Tappan Zee Bridge over the Tappan Zee, ten exits up from the NYC border; and the Palisades Parkway, four exits up, via the George Washington Bridge. The county's name derives from "rocky land", as the area has been aptly described, largely due to the Hudson River Palisades. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.

Rockland County is the smallest county by area in New York outside New York City. It comprises five towns, eighteen incorporated villages, eighteen census-designated places, eight hamlets and eleven defunct communities. Rockland County is designated as a Preserve America Community, and nearly a third of the county's area is parkland. The county has the largest Jewish population percentage of any U.S. county, at 31.4%, or 90,000 residents. Rockland also ranked 80th on the list of highest-income counties by median household income in the United States, with a median household income of $82,534 according to the 2010 census.