Housing data for the Town of Potsdam, NY

The Town of Potsdam, NY has an estimated 14,819 residents and 5,864 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).

It is a town in St. Lawrence County.

43.7% of households rent.

The median gross rent is $920 a month.

Its population shrank measurably since 2015–2019 (−4.8%).

Figures last updated on .

Residents
14,819 (±25)
Housing units
5,864 (±324)
Households that rent
43.7%
Median gross rent
$920
Residents since 2015–2019
−4.8%

What stands out in the Town of Potsdam

Homes in buildings of 5 or more units: 16.0% (±4.0 points) in the Town of Potsdam, higher than in St. Lawrence County (7.9%).

Households that rent: 43.7% (±4.8 points) in the Town of Potsdam, higher than in St. Lawrence County (28.1%).

Median real estate taxes: $4,032 (±$353) in the Town of Potsdam, higher than in St. Lawrence County ($2,844).

Homes heated by fuel oil: 15.8% (±3.6 points) in the Town of Potsdam, lower than in St. Lawrence County (23.8%).

Housing in the Town of Potsdam at a glance

The Town of Potsdam against St. Lawrence County, its state and the nation

Estimate (90% margin of error)
Town of PotsdamSt. Lawrence CountyNew YorkUnited States
Residents14,819 (±25)107,226 (exact)19,852,366 (exact)334,922,499
Housing units5,864 (±324)51,970 (±169)8,585,241 (±652)143,775,355
Households that rent43.7% (±4.8 points)28.1% (±1.9 points)45.7% (±0.2 points)34.8%
Median gross rent$920 (±$86)$818 (±$34)$1,621 (±$7)$1,413
Median household income$53,302 (±$11,004)$62,850 (±$2,870)$85,974 (±$402)$80,734
Median home value$143,400 (±$14,883)$121,900 (±$3,410)$423,800 (±$1,627)$332,700
Median real estate taxes (a year)$4,032 (±$353)$2,844 (±$116)$6,582 (±$21)$3,119
Built before 198064.8% (±6.3 points)67.1% (±2.3 points)73.9% (±0.2 points)49.7%
Average commute17.5 minutes (±2.2)21.0 minutes (±0.8)32.6 minutes (±0.1)26.4 minutes
Households with broadband87.6% (±4.0 points)86.8% (±1.2 points)90.8% (±0.1 points)91.0%
Median age of residents25.9 years (±2.6)39.3 years (±0.3)39.8 years (±0.1)38.9 years

The Town of Potsdam covers 101.4 square miles of land, about 146 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).

How the Town of Potsdam has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
2015–20192020–2024Amount of changeVerdict
Residents15,567 (±41)14,819 (±25)−4.8%Measurable decrease
Housing units5,774 (±331)5,864 (±324)+1.6%Not a measurable change
Median gross rent$799 (±$57)$920 (±$86)+15.1%No measurable change after inflation
Median home value$106,000 (±$9,066)$143,400 (±$14,883)+35.3%No measurable change after inflation
Median household income$53,977 (±$4,994)$53,302 (±$11,004)−1.3%Down after inflation
Median owner cost with a mortgage$1,223 (±$76)$1,406 (±$118)+15.0%No measurable change after inflation
Median real estate taxes$3,369 (±$333)$4,032 (±$353)+19.7%No measurable change after inflation
Households that rent36.4% (±4.3 points)43.7% (±4.8 points)+7.3 percentage pointsMeasurable increase
Rental vacancy rate6.8% (±4.5 points)5.9% (±3.4 points)−0.9 percentage pointsNot a measurable change

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Crime reported to police in St. Lawrence County

The Town of Potsdam has no police department of its own in the FBI’s figures, so this is the figure for St. Lawrence County as a whole.

In 2025, the police departments that report for St. Lawrence County recorded 112 violent and 856 property crimes per 100,000 residents.

A county-wide figure describes the whole county, not this place; crime varies from one community to the next.

ZIP codes in the Town of Potsdam

ZIP Code Tabulation Areas that cover this place (2020–2024 estimates)
ZIP codeShare of the ZIP’s land in this placeResidentsMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household income
13699100%2,194———
1367685%12,874$923$160,200$56,170
1366875%3,563$790$115,400$63,393

A ZIP code is a mail route rather than a boundary, so the Census Bureau publishes figures for ZIP Code Tabulation Areas built from census blocks; the share column says how much of each one’s land lies in this place.

Places near the Town of Potsdam

Nearest places with Census figures, by straight-line distance
PlaceDistanceMedian gross rentMedian home valueHouseholds that rent
Village of Potsdam2.7 mi$898$146,40065.6%
Village of Norwood5.0 mi$683$100,80029.6%
Town of Madrid7.6 mi$823$122,10013.0%
Norfolk (community)7.8 mi$784$88,70034.8%
Village of Canton8.5 mi$796$183,80053.8%
Town of Stockholm9.9 mi$950$164,40021.3%
Town of Pierrepont11 mi$1,125$131,3008.3%
Town of Canton11 mi$880$163,20040.6%

Places in New York most like the Town of Potsdam

PlaceMedian gross rentMedian home valueMedian household incomeHouseholds that rent
Village of Fredonia$878$192,500$50,43346.4%
Ticonderoga (community)$847$158,200$54,93836.5%
Town of Pomfret$866$185,400$57,74636.9%
Town of Canton$880$163,200$70,40140.6%
Town of Delhi$936$197,300$63,04336.8%
Village of Hudson Falls$927$165,200$62,96937.6%

Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across New York.

HUD Fair Market Rent for the Town of Potsdam, fiscal year 2027

St. Lawrence County, NY, dollars a month
Studio1 bedroom2 bedrooms3 bedrooms4 bedrooms
$725$796$1,041$1,246$1,368

HUD income limits for the Town of Potsdam, fiscal year 2026

St. Lawrence County, NY, annual household income
Household sizeExtremely low (30%)Very low (50%)Low (80%)
1 person$18,900$31,500$50,350
2 people$21,640$36,000$57,550
3 people$27,320$40,500$64,750
4 people$33,000$44,950$71,900
5 people$38,680$48,550$77,700
6 people$44,360$52,150$83,450
7 people$50,040$55,750$89,200
8 people$55,720$59,350$94,950

These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the St. Lawrence County, NY, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $78,100.

A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.

A New York town includes the villages and hamlets inside it, so the figures for the Town of Potsdam include them.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Town of Potsdam

What is the average rent in the Town of Potsdam, NY?

The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in the Town of Potsdam is $920 (±$86) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.

How much is a one-bedroom apartment in the Town of Potsdam?

The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in the Town of Potsdam, NY is $757 (±$124) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Are renters in the Town of Potsdam rent-burdened?

63.7% of renting households in the Town of Potsdam pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

How many renters are there in the Town of Potsdam?

The Town of Potsdam has an estimated 2,264 (±319) renting households, 43.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the median household income in the Town of Potsdam?

The median household income in the Town of Potsdam is $53,302 (±$11,004) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

What is the average home value in the Town of Potsdam, NY?

The Census Bureau publishes the median: $143,400 (±$14,883) for owner-occupied homes in the Town of Potsdam (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is the Town of Potsdam growing?

In the Town of Potsdam, the number of residents went from 15,567 in 2015–2019 to 14,819 in 2020–2024 (−4.8%), a measurable decrease.

What ZIP codes are in the Town of Potsdam?

The ZIP codes that cover the Town of Potsdam are 13699, 13676, 13668.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Potsdam town, St. Lawrence County, New York (county subdivision:59575, in state:36 county:089).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.

Figures last updated on .

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