Jefferson County, NY

County

Add Comparison

2023 Population

116,130

1.12% 1-year decline

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2023 Median Age

33.2

1.22% 1-year increase

2023 Poverty Rate

13.4%

4.71% 1-year increase

2023 Median Household Income

$64,978

3.5% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$181,000

6.72% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

44,454

0.956% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Jefferson County, NY had a population of 116k people with a median age of 33.2 and a median household income of $64,978. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Jefferson County, NY declined from 117,445 to 116,130, a −1.12% decrease and its median household income grew from $62,782 to $64,978, a 3.5% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Jefferson County, NY are White (Non-Hispanic) (80.8%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.86%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (4.57%), White (Hispanic) (2.54%), and Two+ (Hispanic) (2.14%).

None of the households in Jefferson County, NY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

98.2% of the residents in Jefferson County, NY are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Jefferson County, NY are Jefferson Community College (361 degrees awarded in 2022) and Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program (20 degrees).

In 2023, the median property value in Jefferson County, NY was $181,000, and the homeownership rate was 54.1%.

Most people in Jefferson County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.6 minutes. The average car ownership in Jefferson County, NY was 2 cars per household.

Jefferson County, NY borders Cayuga County, NY, Lewis County, NY, Oswego County, NY, and St. Lawrence County, NY.

About the photo: On Lake Ontario

Photo by eflon

United States New York Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

Population & Diversity

Jefferson County, NY is home to a population of 116k people, from which 98.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 4.66% of Jefferson County, NY residents were born outside of the country (5.41k people).

In 2023, there were 16.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (93.8k people) in Jefferson County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.65k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) and 5.31k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

98.2%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 98.2% of Jefferson County, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Jefferson County, NY was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Jefferson County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Jefferson County, NY

White (Non-Hispanic)
93.8k ± 330
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
5.65k ± 672
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
5.31k ± 548

7.3%

Hispanic Population

8.48k people

7.3% of the people in Jefferson County, NY are hispanic (8.48k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Jefferson County, NY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for New York.

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
505,872 ± 17,239 people
China
415,960 ± 15,668 people
Jamaica
230,433 ± 11,717 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 505,872 New York residents, followed by China with 415,960 and Jamaica with 230,433.

Foreign-Born Population

4.66%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.41k people

4.64%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

5.45k people

As of 2023, 4.66% of Jefferson County, NY residents (5.41k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Jefferson County, NY was 4.64%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Jefferson County, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
4,268 ± 445
Vietnam
1,711 ± 236
Gulf War (1990s)
1,318 ± 238

Jefferson County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 2.49 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Jefferson County, NY employs 44.5k people. The largest industries in Jefferson County, NY are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,317 people), Retail Trade (6,487 people), and Educational Services (4,550 people), and the highest paying industries are Utilities ($76,506), Public Administration ($68,801), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($56,012).

Males in New York have an average income that is 1.27 times higher than the average income of females, which is $77,694. The income inequality in New York (measured using the Gini index) is 0.494, which is higher than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

44.5k

2023 Value

± 1,517

0.956%

1 Year growth

± 4.81%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Jefferson County, NY grew at a rate of 0.956%, from 44k employees to 44.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Jefferson County, NY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,322 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,813 people), and Management Occupations (4,050 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Jefferson County, NY.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for false.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in New York (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

View Full Dashboard

Industries

Employment by Industries

44.5k

2023 Value

± 1,517

0.956%

1 Year growth

± 4.81%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Jefferson County, NY grew at a rate of 0.956%, from 44k employees to 44.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Jefferson County, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,317 people), Retail Trade (6,487 people), and Educational Services (4,550 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Jefferson County, NY, though some of these residents may live in Jefferson County, NY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$47,012

Median earning men ± $2,382

$35,499

Median earning women ± $970

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Public Administration ($72,350), Information ($57,308), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($56,419).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($58,678), Wholesale Trade ($51,156), and Construction ($47,451).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

Y-Axis

2.74%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 9.56M people employed in New York. This represents a 2.74% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 19.7%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in New York.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

183
Other Services (except Public Administration)
178
Construction
173
Retail Trade

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

Depending on the option selected, the visualization shows the number of employees or number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$373k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$211k
Retail Trade
$145k
Manufacturing

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Education

In 2022, universities in Jefferson County, NY awarded 381 degrees. The student population of Jefferson County, NY in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 893 male students and 1,419 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Jefferson County, NY are White (301 and 79.4%), followed by Hispanic or Latino (25 and 6.6%), Black or African American (23 and 6.07%), and Two or More Races (13 and 3.43%).

The largest universities in Jefferson County, NY by number of degrees awarded are Jefferson Community College (361 and 94.8%) and Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program (20 and 5.25%).

The most popular majors in Jefferson County, NY are Humanistic Studies (58 and 15.2%), Registered Nursing (56 and 14.7%), and General Business Administration & Management (43 and 11.3%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2017 in Jefferson County, NY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 88%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 63.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2022 was 2,312 (38.6% men and 61.4% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 2,312 students enrolled in Jefferson County, NY, 38.6% men and 61.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,590 records, of which 64.3% were women and 35.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Humanistic Studies
58 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
56 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
43 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Jefferson County, NY was Humanistic Studies with 58 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Jefferson County, NY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Jefferson Community College
361 degrees awarded
Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
20 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Jefferson Community College with 361 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2022, 115 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Jefferson County, NY, which is 0.432 times less than the 266 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 301 degrees mean that there were 12 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 25 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, less-than 2-year ($18,481) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($672) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2022.

Public, 2-year ($1,500) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

Measure

In 2022, 1.7% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 1.75% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for New York.

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (4.04M), Bachelors Degree (3.33M), and Some college (2.79M).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Jefferson County, NY was $181,000 in 2023, which is 0.597 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $169,600 to $181,000, a 6.72% increase. The homeownership rate in Jefferson County, NY is 54.1%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Jefferson County, NY have an average commute time of 19.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Jefferson County, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Jefferson County, NY is $64,978. In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income in Jefferson County, NY was Census Tract 624 with a value of $86,296, followed by Census Tract 625 and Census Tract 616, with respective values of $82,727 and $80,614.

In 2023, 13.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 0.68%.

Housing

Property

$181,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$4,352

$25,278

Median Property Taxes

±$1,012

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Jefferson County, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Jefferson County, NY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

54.1%

Homeownership

2023

63.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 54.1% of the housing units in Jefferson County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 54.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Jefferson County, NY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 624
Census Tract 625
Census Tract 616

In 2023, the tract with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Jefferson County, NY was Census Tract 624 with a value of $86,296, followed by Census Tract 625 and Census Tract 616, with respective values of $82,727 and $80,614.

The following map shows all of the tracts in Jefferson County, NY colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$64,978

Median Household Income

± $2,730

46.7k

Number of Households

± 1,605

In 2023, the median household income of the 46.7k households in Jefferson County, NY grew to $64,978 from the previous year's value of $62,782.

The following chart displays the households in Jefferson County, NY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Jefferson County, NY is from New York.

0.494

2022 Wage GINI in New York

0.493

2021 Wage GINI in New York

In 2022, the income inequality in New York was 0.494 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.125% growth from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat less even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed less evenly in New York in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in New York across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (77.4%)
Carpooled (8.32%)
Worked At Home (7.43%)

In 2023, 77.4% of workers in Jefferson County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.32%) and those who worked at home (7.43%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

19.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Jefferson County, NY have a shorter commute time (19.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.67% of the workforce in Jefferson County, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Jefferson County, NY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Jefferson County, NY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Jefferson County, NY have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2023, 13.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 0.68%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

13.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Jefferson County, NY (14.8k out of 111k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Jefferson County, NY is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2023, 17.6% of the children was living in poverty in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2023, the indicator declined 6.2%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

94.2% of the population of Jefferson County, NY has health coverage, with 33.2% on employee plans, 20.6% on Medicaid, 10.8% on Medicare, 17.3% on non-group plans, and 12.3% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Jefferson County, NY see 1802 patients per year on average, which represents a 0.0555% increase from the previous year (1801 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1108 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 431 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,802 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Jefferson County, NY

Primary care physicians in Jefferson County, NY see an average of 1,802 patients per year. This represents a 0.0555% increase from the previous year (1,801 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Jefferson County, NY in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.9% under 18 years, 21.5% between 18 and 34 years, 34.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.8% were men and 52.2% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

5.76%

Uninsured

33.2%

Employer Coverage

20.6%

Medicaid

10.8%

Medicare

17.3%

Non-Group

12.3%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Jefferson County, NY grew by 6.24% from 5.42% to 5.76%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Jefferson County, NY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2023, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 62.1 in Jefferson County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Jefferson County, NY.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2023, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 32.6% in Jefferson County, NY.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Jefferson County, NY.