Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 14,367, established in 1806.
Potsdam grades B− overall, 404th among New York's 745 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $53K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. 37% of working residents work locally in Potsdam, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include US Post Office-Potsdam and Market Street Historic District.
Where Potsdam beats most towns.
Market Street Historic District
Census counts: 1,911 in 1820, 14,901 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 3 maps from 1908 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Potsdam is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Potsdam, and how to reach them.
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 Potsdam.
Potsdam is shaped by its college students, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has commutes shorter than most of New York.
34.1% of residents are enrolled in college, against 7% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
15% of residents are 65 or older in Potsdam. Adults 18 to 34 are 44% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (39% statewide). For Potsdam, the midpoint age is 25.9 years. The town has lost 3.9% of its people since 2020, down to 14,367 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Potsdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 25.9 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 20% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 32% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Potsdam | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.4% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 33.9% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.3% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.9% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.5% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 16% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Potsdam Central School District runs its public schools. The largest public high school is Potsdam Senior High School, with 373 students. Two of the 3 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Avenue Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 526 | B+ |
| Potsdam Senior High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 373 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
FEMA puts 63% of Potsdam’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 16% to cold waves. Compared with 73% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage locally is lower. Since 2024, one flood insurance claim has been paid in the town.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Expect July afternoons of 80° and January nights of 8°, with about 77 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Crary Mills State Forest, at 564 acres. Trails run 18 miles in 11 parks and preserves. The density of trails in Potsdam is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Potsdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.3% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clarkson Woods | 7.6 mi | 377 |
| 2. Lehman Park | 1 mi | 43 |
| 3. Ives Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 4,327 working residents takes 17.5 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
For half of commuters, work is under 12 miles away. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Potsdam rose by 734, to 6,395. Roughly one working resident in three has a job in Potsdam itself. Its mean commuting time is 18 minutes.
| Potsdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.4% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,879 U.S. towns with household incomes like Potsdam’s, it is healthier than 89%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
Of 32 CDC measures, Potsdam beats the New York average on 5 and trails it on 8. Among adults locally, 36% feel lonely. Two figures for adults in the town: 40% have obesity, 19% report frequent mental distress.
| Potsdam | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Potsdam | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 5.9% | 7.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.9% | 14.5% |
| More adults with depression | 24.1% | 17.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4 within 15 miles of the center of Potsdam
College town 34 of every 100 Potsdam residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
15 places in Potsdam on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Potsdam.
Town in New York, United States
Potsdam is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 8,162 at the 2024 census. When the State University of New York at Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the population increases by approximately 8,000 students. The town is named after the city of Potsdam in Germany. The town of Potsdam also contains a village named Potsdam. Potsdam is centrally located within the county and northeast of Canton, the county seat.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Potsdam.
Norfolk next door grades lower for schools (C to Potsdam’s B+) and higher for cost of living (A− to C+).
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potsdam | #404 | B− | C+ | — | B+ | B |
| Madrid | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C |
| Norfolk | #400 | B− | A− | A+ | C | C− |
| Stockholm | #635 | C− | C+ | — | B | C+ |
| Canton | #447 | C+ | C+ | — | B− | B |
| Pierrepont | #438 | C+ | B | — | B− | B |
| Parishville | — | — | B | — | B+ | B− |
| Hannawa Falls | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Madrid and Parishville have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Potsdam, Madrid, Stockholm, Canton, Pierrepont and Parishville report no FBI crime data of their own. Hannawa Falls isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Potsdam with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Potsdam grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #404 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
14 notable people were born here, including Frank B. Kellogg and Laurie Halse Anderson.
