Work & commute · Potsdam

Work & commute in Potsdam, NY

About one in 3 of Potsdam’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Potsdam (38%), Canton (9%) and Massena (3%). Half commute less than 14 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

33%

654 of 1,985 working residents

Typical commute

14 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

11%

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 1,331 Potsdam residents head out of town to work, 654 work right here, and 4,609 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Potsdam.

1,331live here, work elsewhere

654live and work here

4,609work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Potsdam goes to work

Potsdam2.2 mi away

38%745

Canton13 mi away

9%185

Massena21.4 mi away

3%69

Albany150.7 mi away

3%66

Syracuse126.5 mi away

3%59

Ogdensburg23.5 mi away

2%42

Malone35.2 mi away

2%38

New York282 mi away

2%36

DeWitt124.2 mi away

1%22

Plattsburgh74.9 mi away

1%18

Everywhere elseother towns and states

36%705

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.

42%

17%

35%

42%Under 10 mi

17%10–24 mi

7%25–50 mi

35%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Potsdam is a job hub

2.65jobs per working resident

A job hub

2.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Potsdam are

5,263 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

5,263 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)1%

Trade, transport & utilities11%

Services (health, schools, offices…)88%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month25%

Over $3,333 a month61%

Jobs Potsdam residents hold

1,985 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)8%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)77%

$1,250 a month or less15%

$1,251–$3,333 a month25%

Over $3,333 a month59%

+20%

Jobs based in Potsdam, 2013 → 2023: 4,373 → 5,263. 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.