Ham radio operators in New York: new licenses by county
25,909 licensed amateur radio operators; 1,173 new in the past 12 months. Updated weekly from FCC data.
At a glance · Data as of
- New hams · last 30 days
- 64
- New hams · last 12 months
- 1,173
- ▲ 5% vs prior 12 mo
- Active licensed hams
- 25,909
- Upgrades · 12 mo
- 353
- Vanity callsigns · 12 mo
- 207
- Address updates · 12 mo
- 424
- Often a move into the area
- Expiring · next 6 mo
- 1,566
About ham radio in New York
New York added 1,173 new amateur radio operators in the past 12 months, about the same as the year before (up 5%). New York ranks #4 of 52 states and territories for new licenses. Richmond County leads the state with 188 new hams. Among larger counties, Suffolk County is growing fastest. Technicians make up 45% of the state’s licensees, below the U.S. average of 48%, pointing to an experienced, HF-heavy community.
New hams by month
Show data table
| Month | New hams |
|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | 106 |
| Dec 2025 | 193 |
| Jan 2026 | 75 |
| Feb 2026 | 59 |
| Mar 2026 | 221 |
| Apr 2026 | 78 |
| May 2026 | 117 |
| Jun 2026 | 119 |
| Jul 2026 | 54 |
| Aug 2026 | 80 |
| Sep 2026 | 71 |
| Total | 1,177 |
License classes
| Class | Hams | Share | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technician | 11,631 | 45% | 48% |
| General | 6,586 | 25% | 25% |
| Amateur Extra | 5,995 | 23% | 21% |
| Advanced | 1,015 | 4% | 3% |
| Novice / Other | 682 | 3% | 2% |
Bar = New York share · Tick = U.S. share
In the past 12 months, 155 operators upgraded to General and 165 to Amateur Extra.
How New York compares
#4 of 52 states and territories for new hams in the past 12 months
| Per 1,000 active hams | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| New hams, past 12 months | 45.3 | 32.3 |
| Upgrades, past 12 months | 13.6 | 14.7 |
| Expiring, next 6 months | 60.4 | 57.3 |
1,173 new hams in New York this past year. Get next month’s list free.
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| # | County | New hams 12 mo | Change vs prior year | Active hams | New per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond County | 188 | ▼ 1% | 868 | 216.6 |
| 2 | Kings County | 136 | ▼ 24% | 1,261 | 107.9 |
| 3 | Suffolk County | 108 | ▲ 61% | 2,390 | 45.2 |
| 4 | New York County | 60 | ▲ 46% | 995 | 60.3 |
| 5 | Erie County | 56 | ▲ 30% | 1,558 | 35.9 |
| 6 | Nassau County | 45 | ▲ 13% | 1,614 | 27.9 |
| 7 | Westchester County | 44 | ▲ 7% | 1,125 | 39.1 |
| 8 | Queens County | 43 | ▼ 22% | 1,139 | 37.8 |
| 9 | Monroe County | 39 | ▼ 37% | 1,710 | 22.8 |
| 10 | Onondaga County | 27 | ▲ 8% | 964 | 28.0 |
All New York counties
52 counties with their own page. Numbers are new hams in the past 12 months.
- Albany County17 new hams in 12 months
- Allegany County1 new hams in 12 months
- Bronx County15 new hams in 12 months
- Broome County13 new hams in 12 months
- Cattaraugus County2 new hams in 12 months
- Cayuga County7 new hams in 12 months
- Chautauqua County3 new hams in 12 months
- Chemung County3 new hams in 12 months
- Chenango County5 new hams in 12 months
- Clinton County5 new hams in 12 months
- Columbia County4 new hams in 12 months
- Cortland County2 new hams in 12 months
- Delaware County7 new hams in 12 months
- Dutchess County17 new hams in 12 months
- Erie County56 new hams in 12 months
- Essex County7 new hams in 12 months
- Franklin County6 new hams in 12 months
- Herkimer County4 new hams in 12 months
- Jefferson County12 new hams in 12 months
- Kings County136 new hams in 12 months
- Livingston County3 new hams in 12 months
- Madison County3 new hams in 12 months
- Monroe County39 new hams in 12 months
- Nassau County45 new hams in 12 months
- New York County60 new hams in 12 months
- Niagara County12 new hams in 12 months
- Oneida County15 new hams in 12 months
- Onondaga County27 new hams in 12 months
- Ontario County8 new hams in 12 months
- Orange County13 new hams in 12 months
- Oswego County10 new hams in 12 months
- Otsego County4 new hams in 12 months
- Putnam County11 new hams in 12 months
- Queens County43 new hams in 12 months
- Rensselaer County12 new hams in 12 months
- Richmond County188 new hams in 12 months
- Rockland County10 new hams in 12 months
- Saratoga County17 new hams in 12 months
- Schenectady County5 new hams in 12 months
- Schoharie County1 new hams in 12 months
- St. Lawrence County9 new hams in 12 months
- Steuben County2 new hams in 12 months
- Suffolk County108 new hams in 12 months
- Sullivan County11 new hams in 12 months
- Tioga County2 new hams in 12 months
- Tompkins County13 new hams in 12 months
- Ulster County9 new hams in 12 months
- Warren County6 new hams in 12 months
- Washington County6 new hams in 12 months
- Wayne County5 new hams in 12 months
- Westchester County44 new hams in 12 months
- Wyoming County4 new hams in 12 months
Smaller New York counties
These 10 counties have too few licensees or too little recent activity for a page of their own, so their numbers are listed here.
| County | Active hams | New hams · 12 mo |
|---|---|---|
| Fulton County | 113 | 1 |
| Genesee County | 122 | 0 |
| Greene County | 129 | 3 |
| Hamilton County | 36 | 0 |
| Lewis County | 57 | 1 |
| Montgomery County | 90 | 1 |
| Orleans County | 93 | 0 |
| Schuyler County | 51 | 1 |
| Seneca County | 46 | 0 |
| Yates County | 57 | 1 |
Neighboring states
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Figures may be reused with credit to Ham Recruiter (CC BY 4.0).
Questions about hams in New York
How many ham radio operators are in New York?
25,909 active amateur radio licensees are on file for New York as of Oct 1, 2026.
How many new hams were licensed in New York last year?
1,173 people in New York received their first FCC amateur radio license in the 12 months ending Oct 1, 2026.
Which New York counties have the most new hams?
In the past 12 months: Richmond County (188), Kings County (136) and Suffolk County (108).
Where does this data come from?
From the FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) public amateur license database, which we download every Monday. Addresses are matched to counties with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. This page shows totals only.
Can I see the names or call signs on this page?
No. Public pages show totals only. Verified Ham Recruiter users can search and export lists for outreach; see how licensee information is handled.
About this data
Data as of . Source: FCC Universal Licensing System (ULS) weekly amateur license database; county from U.S. Census Bureau geocoding. Aggregates only, no individual licensee data is shown. Aggregate figures © Ham Recruiter, CC BY 4.0.
How we count
- New ham: an active licensee whose first license was granted in the period.
- Address updates: a change of FCC mailing address, often a move into the area.
- Counts use each licensee’s current FCC address. Someone licensed here who later moved is counted where they live now.
- Each license keeps only its most recent event of each type, so two upgrades in one year count once.
- PO-box-only addresses often can’t be matched to a county, so rural counties are slightly undercounted.
100% of New York licensees could be matched to a county.