Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 623: a town settled in 1881.
100% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Paul Smiths, above both the New York town median (32%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). No town among the 759 in New York we compare has a lower average trip to work than Paul Smiths. Paul Smiths has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Paul Smiths beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1865.
Paul Smiths is unincorporated, so Franklin 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.
Ordered by what stands out in Paul Smiths.
For half of commuters, work is under 19 miles away. Jobs in Paul Smiths fell by 109 from 2013 to 2023, to 252. The top destinations are Harrietstown (23%), North Elba (21%) and St. Armand (5%).
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Paul Smiths than in 83% of U.S. communities. Three quarters of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 11%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Paul Smiths brings cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 77°, January nights drop to 5° and about 104 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
For adults in Paul Smiths, the share who have high blood pressure is 9.4%. CDC measures, 32 in all: Paul Smiths beats New York on 17 and trails on 8. No town among the 756 in New York we compare has a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Paul Smiths. Among adults here, 22% report frequent mental distress and 6.8% report frequent physical distress.
| Paul Smiths | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 1.4% | 11% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 6.8% | 14% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Paul Smiths | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 1.4% | 11.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 1.1% | 7.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 27.9% | 16.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paul Smiths. Close and well known come first.
27 mi MountainMount Marcy
30 mi State parkAdirondack Park
18 mi MountainWhiteface Mountain
27 mi LakeLake Tear of the Clouds
19 mi LandmarkJohn Brown Farm State Historic Site
17 mi Stadium & arenaHerb Brooks ArenaMount Marcy: Daniel Tripp, Public domain · Adirondack Park: Original uploader was Mwanner at en.wikipedia Later version(s) were uploaded by, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Whiteface Mountain: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Tear of the Clouds: TheKilimanjaro, CC BY-SA 4.0 · John Brown Farm State Historic Site: Mwanner | Talk, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herb Brooks Arena: KevinTR at English Wikipedia, CC0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Paul Smiths
College town 100 of every 100 Paul Smiths residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Where Paul Smiths’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Census-designated place in New York, United States
Paul Smiths is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Brighton in Franklin County, New York, United States. It is located on Lower Saint Regis Lake in the Adirondacks, 12 miles (19 km) northwest of Saranac Lake, located at 44°26' North 74°15' West. As of the 2020 census, Paul Smiths had a population of 411.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Paul Smiths has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
