PoestenkillNY
A town of 4,327, settled in 1770. Public schools that outperform most of New York.
What makes Poestenkill stand out
The 3 things Poestenkill does most differently from other towns.
96% of working residents leave Poestenkill for work
Where Poestenkill’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Poestenkill’s report card
Now in Poestenkill
Be the first to start the conversation.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Poestenkill. Another town gets a different order.
Poestenkill’s public schools outperform 65% of New York districts
The public schools Poestenkill’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 65% of New York’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poestenkill Elementary School | K–5 | 334 | B+ |
| Algonquin Middle School | 6–8 | 608 | C+ |
Homes in Poestenkill sell for about $425K
The median sale price was $425,000 in March 2026.
Healthier than 87% of U.S. towns
Poestenkill beats the New York average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| What stands out | Poestenkill | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.8% | 17.2% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.3% | 7.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 7.7% |
Most working residents commute out of Poestenkill
Most working residents leave Poestenkill for work: only 4% work in town. The top destinations are Albany (21%), Colonie (12%) and Troy (8%). Half commute less than 11 miles.
Where working residents work
6% of Poestenkill is conserved land
19 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Poestenkill Community Forest | 8.9 mi | 435 |
| 2. Cowee State Forest | 2.2 mi | 338 |
| 3. Barberville Falls Preserve | 2.2 mi | 136 |
Snowy winters, pleasant summers
Poestenkill has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. A typical July afternoon reaches 80°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 53 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
Typical low → high °F
Moderate risk, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities.
About Poestenkill
Town in Rensselaer County, New York
Poestenkill is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States. The population was 4,322 at the 2020 census. The town is southeast of Troy and is centrally located in the county. The town is named after the Poesten Kill, an important stream in the area. The phrase poesten kil (with only one l) is traditionally said to be Dutch for "foaming water" or "foaming creek". While kil is, indeed, Dutch for "water" or "creek", Dutch dictionaries do not support the claim of poest meaning "foam". It seems more likely that the creek was named after the nickname Poest for the 17th-century local farmer and miller Jan Barentsen Wemp, who had a pimple (poest) or had difficulty breathing (poesten = to b…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1770
- Population
- 4,322
- Area
- 33 sq mi
- Elevation
- 928 ft
- ZIP code
- 12140
- Area code
- 518
Poestenkill’s neighbors
6 towns share a border with Poestenkill.