Putnam, New York

Town in Washington County · population 567 (2020 Census)

Median home: $266,200
Household income: $92,344
Jan low / Jul high: 12° / 84°
Snow a year: 71 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 1
Median age: 53.6

Putnam is a town of 567 people in Washington County, New York. The median home is worth $266,200, above the typical New York town ($217,700). It ranks better for a vacation home than 91% of New York towns, quieter than 89% of New York towns, better for retirees than 77% of New York towns.

How Putnam ranks

Percentile among New York towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of New York towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Putnam is worth $266,200, above the typical New York town ($217,700). Homes cost about 2.9 times the median household income of $92,344, which is more affordable than 49% of New York towns. 95.9% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of New York towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Putnam	Typical New York town
Median home value	$266,200	$217,700
Median rent	—	$1,080
Median household income	$92,344	$80,740
Home value ÷ income	2.9×	2.8×
Homeownership	95.9%	79.5%
Median year built	1971	1965
Seasonal / vacation homes	50.5%	—

Who lives in Putnam

People	Putnam	Typical New York town
Median age	53.6	43.5
Age 65 and over	35.6%	20.4%
Under 18	17.4%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	31.4%	30.4%
Below the poverty line	7.2%	9.3%
Veterans	8.5%	—
Born outside the U.S.	1.1%	—
Work from home	8.6%	11.1%
Average commute	21.4 min	26.0 min
Homes with broadband	91.8%	91.1%

Weather in Putnam

July highs average 83.5°F and January lows 12.1°F. About 42.5 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 70.5 inches of snow (typical New York town: 62.9 in). Expect about 12 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 143 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Whitehall station (13.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 4 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Putnam since 1950, compared with 5 for the typical New York town. The strongest, an EF0, struck on July 13, 2023 about 3.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on July 13, 2023.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 17 times; the largest was 1.75 inches on August 15, 2015.

Severe weather in Washington County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Washington County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996).

Washington County has been included in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, other.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 20, 2020	Biological	DR-4480: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3434: Covid-19
October 28, 2012	Hurricane	EM-3351: Hurricane Sandy
August 31, 2011	Hurricane	DR-4020: Hurricane Irene
March 4, 2009	Severe Storm	DR-1827: Severe Winter Storm

Jobs and pay in Washington County

Washington County had 14,838 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $62,139 a year. Unemployment was 3.4% in 2023; in Putnam itself the ACS puts it at 5.9%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Public schools in Putnam

1 public school with 38 students, about 5.4 students per teacher.

School	Grades	Students	Per teacher
PUTNAM CENTRAL SCHOOL	PK-6	38	5.4

Towns near Putnam

Benson, VT
6.3 mi · 974 people · home $242,000
Ticonderoga, NY
6.6 mi · 3,250 people · home $158,200
Hague, NY
7.7 mi · 633 people · home $325,900
Orwell, VT
8.2 mi · 1,239 people · home $335,600
Ticonderoga, NY
9.2 mi · 4,789 people · home $176,200
Dresden, NY
11.1 mi · 537 people · home $191,500
Shoreham, VT
11.7 mi · 1,260 people · home $316,400
Fair Haven, VT
11.7 mi · 2,736 people · home $176,500

Putnam questions

Is Putnam, New York a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Putnam scores better for retirees than 77% of New York towns and quieter than 89%. 35.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 53.6).

How much does a house cost in Putnam?

The median owner-occupied home in Putnam is valued at $266,200 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $92,344, so homes cost about 2.9 times income. Median rent is — a month.

What is the weather like in Putnam?

July highs average 83.5°F and January lows 12.1°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 42.5 inches of precipitation a year and 70.5 inches of snow.

Does Putnam get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Putnam since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF0 on July 13, 2023. The typical New York town has had 5.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Putnam's Census boundary (GEOID 3611560092). Comparisons use the median of New York towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.