PalenvilleNY
Today 870 people live in this town, first settled in 1826.
Is Palenville a good place to live?
Palenville’s average commute is 41 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only one of the 759 New York towns we compare has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Palenville. Palenville’s trail network density is 2.4 miles per square mile, above both the New York town median (0.4) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Kaaterskill Wild Forest, at 475 acres with 6.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Palenville has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
870 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Kaaterskill Falls and 50 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Palenville. Close and well known come first.
2 mi WaterfallKaaterskill Falls
29 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
10 mi MuseumOlana State Historic Site
27 mi National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site295K visitors a year
10 mi Ski areaHunter Mountain62 runs · 1,532 ft vertical4 mi Zoo & aquariumCatskill Game FarmPhoto credits
Kaaterskill Falls: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Daderot, Public domain · Hunter Mountain: The original uploader was Daniel Case at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Palenville: who provides what
Palenville is unincorporated, so Greene County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Palenville.
The typical home in Palenville: about $340K
Values rose 1.2% in the 12 months to September 2026. In Palenville, 73% of households own their home.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most of Palenville’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.1 jobs for each of them
Palenville had 38 jobs in 2023, down 25 from 2013. 5.4% of residents live below the poverty line in the town. The top destinations are Catskill (23%), New York (8%) and Kingston (7%). Half of commuters travel less than 16 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kaaterskill Wild Forest | 6.5 mi | 475 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In Palenville, expect four seasons and pleasant summers
A winter brings about 31 inches of snow, with January nights at 16° and July afternoons at 83°.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Low risk in Palenville, with inland flooding at the top
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Palenville than in 65% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
How healthy Palenville is
The share of adults in Palenville who have high blood pressure: 37%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Palenville beats New York on 2 and trails on 7.
| Palenville | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Palenville | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.7% | 14.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Palenville
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Palenville
About 0 of every 100 Palenville residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
100% of working residents leave Palenville for work
Where Palenville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Questions about Palenville
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Palenville, NY a good place to live?
Palenville has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.