Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Putnam Valley earn more than those in 93% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 4.2% of residents (New York 14.0%). Putnam Valley grades A for jobs and income and B for walkability. Only 7% work in Putnam Valley itself; outside it, New York City draws the most (25%, 51 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Putnam Valley at work: what stands out
Putnam Valley’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Putnam Valley is New York City, 51 miles away as the crow flies. 25% of working residents (1,353) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
Putnam Valley workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 45 minutes each way, against 33 across New York. Over a year that’s about 345 hours of commuting, 92 more than the state’s typical worker. Every town next door averages less (39 to 41 minutes). Time on the road ↓
Putnam Valley is a place people come home to
There are 1,160 jobs based in Putnam Valley, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Putnam Valley has about 7,500 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Putnam Valley’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Putnam Valley is better than 92% of U.S. towns, #65 of 758 in New York. Household income is its strongest input ($137,656, U.S. $80,734); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 66% of U.S. towns). It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Putnam Valley could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Putnam Valley’s commute, mile by mile
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The daily trip from Putnam Valley: about 45 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 14.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Putnam Valley workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,244 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Putnam Valley quiets down on a workday
On a workday 5,040 residents head out to work, 352 work right here, and 808 people come in from elsewhere.
About 7,500 people are in Putnam Valley on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
0.22 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where Putnam Valley goes to work
Where Putnam Valley clocks in
25% of workers
7% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
What the 1,160 jobs in Putnam Valley are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Putnam Valley, 2013 → 2023: 1,068 → 1,160. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Putnam Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Putnam Valley is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Putnam Valley is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns, #413 of 758 in New York. How people get to work scores higher than the street layout: 9.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, against 32.9% across New York, on an EPA index of 5.5.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 6,089 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 0% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 0% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about under 0.1 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 20% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.5% of Putnam Valley households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 8% of Putnam Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
Ranked on jobs and income, Putnam Valley is 345th among 2,695 U.S. towns of 8,000 to 16,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| 2 | Beverly Hills MI | 10,449 | $177K | 1.7% | 1.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Ladue MO | 8,934 | $250K | 1.1% | 1.7% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 99 | East Rockaway NY | 10,096 | $125K | 2.6% | 3.2% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 102 | North Castle NY | 12,360 | $208K | 3.8% | 3.1% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 140 | Hastings-on-Hudson NY | 8,440 | $194K | 2.3% | 4.1% | 6% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 343 | Van Alstyne TX | 8,012 | $102K | 7.0% | 0.6% | 4% | A |
| 344 | Pequannock Township NJ | 15,750 | $121K | 4.6% | 4.1% | 8% | A |
| 345 | Putnam Valley NY | 11,762 | $138K | 4.2% | 2.6% | 7% | A |
| 346 | Harrison TN | 8,011 | $89K | 3.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A |
| 347 | Lititz PA | 9,689 | $89K | 4.1% | 1.8% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,695 | Roma TX | 11,543 | $25K | 37.1% | 12.4% | 22% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Putnam Valley, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Around Putnam Valley: the bordering towns
The biggest share goes to Carmel (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Putnam Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Putnam Valley | – | A | B | 45 min | $137,656 |
| Carmel | 4% | A− | A− | 41 min | $131,835 |
| Kent | under 2% | A− | B+ | 39 min | $129,012 |
| Philipstown | under 2% | A− | A | 40 min | $140,557 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Putnam Valley’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Putnam Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Putnam Valley?
$137,656 (±$21,244) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Putnam Valley?
4.2%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Putnam Valley?
45 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Putnam Valley work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are New York City (25%, 51 mi), Yorktown (7%, 9 mi), Cortlandt (5%, 11 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Putnam Valley walkable?
Putnam Valley is more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 5.5 out of 20, and 10% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Putnam Valley without a car?
8% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. 0% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Putnam Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Putnam Valley
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.