Putnam LakeNY
A town of 3,664, settled in 1933.
Is Putnam Lake a good place to live?
Putnam Lake’s typical journey to work is 39 minutes, above both New York’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 10 of the 759 New York towns we compare have a higher owner-occupancy rate than Putnam Lake. 18% of the land in Putnam Lake is conserved, above both New York’s towns (5.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest park or preserve is Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area, at 373 acres. We don’t grade Putnam Lake yet; the figures below are still real.
95% of working residents leave Putnam Lake for work
Where Putnam Lake’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
United States Military Academy and 79 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Putnam Lake. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi MuseumUnited States Military Academy
5 mi LakeCandlewood Lake
34 mi LandmarkFerncliff Cemetery
27 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
33 mi Stadium & arenaYale Bowl
5 mi State parkWonder Lake State ParkPhoto credits
United States Military Academy: USMA Public Affairs Office, Public domain · Candlewood Lake: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain · Ferncliff Cemetery: Anthony22 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yale Bowl: Kenneth Zirkel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wonder Lake State Park: Anthony22 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Putnam Lake: who provides what
Putnam Lake is unincorporated, so Putnam 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 Putnam Lake.
The biggest natural risk in Putnam Lake is inland flooding, at a very low overall level
The national flood insurance program has paid 2 claims in Putnam Lake since 1979. Compared with 94% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage here is lower. Expected losses in Putnam Lake break down as 57% from inland flooding and 9% from cold waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Putnam Lake has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Half the trips to work are shorter than 26 miles. Putnam Lake’s income of the median household comes in at $104,000. Since 2013, Putnam Lake has lost 48 jobs, to 679 in 2023. Among working residents locally, 4.9% work locally.
| Putnam Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $104,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 10% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Protected land: 18.4% of Putnam Lake
Walkers can cover 0.4 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. In Putnam Lake, the density of trails is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cranberry Mountain Wildlife Management Area | — | 373 |
| 2. Michael Ciaiola Conservation Area | — | 25 |
| 3. Great Swamp Wildlife Management Area | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Putnam Lake has snowy winters and pleasant summers
The typical July afternoon high in Putnam Lake is 83°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Fewer children than New York overall
Four-year graduates: 31% of adults 25 and older here, 40% across New York. Children under 18 are 13% of residents (21% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). Putnam Lake’s age of the median resident stands at 45.1 years.
| Putnam Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 45.1 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.2 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Putnam Lake | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.8% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7.5% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.1% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.5% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.5% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.4% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.5% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.6% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
How healthy Putnam Lake is
Putnam Lake: just over one in ten adults smoke cigarettes. Among adults here, 19% have been diagnosed with depression and 29% have obesity.
| Putnam Lake | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 34% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 11% | 12% |
| What stands out | Putnam Lake | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13% | 17.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.9% | 12.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Putnam Lake
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Putnam Lake
About 8 of every 100 Putnam Lake residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Putnam Lake’s neighbors
4 towns share a border with Putnam Lake.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Lake | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Patterson | #505 | C+ | D− | — | B− | B+ |
| Southeast | #332 | B | D | — | C+ | A |
Patterson and Southeast report no FBI crime data of their own. Putnam Lake isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Putnam Lake with a neighbor →
Questions about Putnam Lake
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Putnam Lake, NY a good place to live?
We don’t grade Putnam Lake yet; the figures below are still real.