Claim: Albany, New York is in New York.

Albany County -LRB- -LSB- ˈɔːlbəni -RSB- -RRB- is a county in the state of New York , in the United States . Its northern border is formed by the Mohawk River , at its confluence with the Hudson River , which is on the east . As of the 2010 census , the population was 304,204 . The county seat is Albany , the state capital . As originally established by the English government in the colonial era , Albany County had an indefinite amount of land , but has had an area of 530 sqmi since March 3 , 1888 . The county is named for the Duke of York and of Albany , who became James II of England -LRB- James VII of Scotland -RRB- .   Albany County constitutes the central core of the Capital District of New York State , which comprises the Albany-Schenectady-Troy , NY Metropolitan Statistical Area .