Work & commute · Potsdam

Work & commute in Potsdam, NY

About one in 3 of Potsdam’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Canton (13%), Massena (5%) and Ogdensburg (2%). Half commute less than 12 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

37%

1,588 of 4,327 working residents

Typical commute

12 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

18 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 2,739 Potsdam residents head out of town to work, 1,588 work right here, and 4,807 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Potsdam.

2,739live here, work elsewhere

1,588live and work here

4,807work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Potsdam goes to work

Potsdam (in town)right here

37%1,588

Canton11.4 mi away

13%557

Massena21.9 mi away

5%198

Ogdensburg21.3 mi away

2%106

Albany151.9 mi away

2%93

Syracuse125.9 mi away

2%92

Malone37.2 mi away

2%83

Norfolk12 mi away

1%60

New York282.8 mi away

1%55

Watertown65.3 mi away

1%49

Everywhere elseother towns and states

33%1,446

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Potsdam commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

45%

20%

28%

45%Under 10 mi

20%10–24 mi

7%25–50 mi

28%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Potsdam is balanced between jobs and homes

1.48jobs per working resident

Balanced

About as many jobs as working residents (1.48 per resident).

The jobs

What the jobs in Potsdam are

6,395 jobs are based in Potsdam. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Potsdam’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Potsdam

6,395 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)6%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)79%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month26%

Over $3,333 a month60%

Jobs Potsdam residents hold

4,327 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)9%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)76%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month25%

Over $3,333 a month60%

+13%

Jobs based in Potsdam, 2013 → 2023: 5,661 → 6,395. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.