Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Potter’s subject grades is an A for history; the weakest is a C for incomes. 29% of residents are under 18 in Potter, above both the New York town median (20%) and the median of U.S. towns (22%). Homes are within reach, about $130K for a typical one, or 1.9 years of the county’s $70K median household income. Only 30 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors. Its National Register listings include James Hobart House and Arnold Potter House. Potter has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Potter beats most towns.
Where Potter’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Potter is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,245 in 1840, 1,865 in 2010. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1903 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Potter, 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 Potter.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley View School PrivateLargest elementary schoolGrades 1–8 | Grades 1–8 | 28 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
2.3% of Potter working residents work locally, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Potter has lost 54 jobs, to 138 in 2023. The median household income in Potter is $67,000.
| Potter | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Potter has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Potter’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Potter since 2014.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Potter beats the New York average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 15% of adults report frequent physical distress in Potter.
| Potter | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 81% | 79% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 25% |
| What stands out | Potter | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.3% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14% | 17.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.8% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.4 miles of trail in 0 parks and preserves.
| Potter | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Potter. Close and well known come first.
15 mi LakeSeneca Lake
24 mi LakeCayuga Lake
20 mi MountainCumorah
28 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
40 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
32 mi State parkTaughannock Falls State ParkSeneca Lake: RochesterNY, Public domain · Cayuga Lake: The original uploader was Cornellrockey at English Wikipedia. Later versions we, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Cumorah: Hillcumorahpageantstage.jpg: la salebete derivative work: Eustress (talk), CC BY-SA 2.0 · Watkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Taughannock Falls State Park: Michael C. Rygel, CC BY-SA 3.0
4 within 15 miles of the center of Potter
About 5 of every 100 Potter residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Potter is a town in Yates County, New York, United States. The Town of Potter is located in the northwest part of the county and is south of Canandaigua. The population was 1,865 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Potter.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potter | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | B− |
| Middlesex | — | — | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Jerusalem | #507 | C+ | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Benton | #565 | C | C | — | B− | B− |
| Gorham | #617 | C− | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
Potter and Middlesex have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Potter, Middlesex, Jerusalem, Benton and Gorham report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Potter with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
2 notable people were born here, including Wesley P. Andrus and Charles M. Holton.
