Jefferson County, NY

County

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2024 Population

115,040

US Senator

Chuck Schumer

Democratic Party

US Senator

Kirsten Gillibrand

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

33.7

1.51% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

13.7%

2.14% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$66,301

2.04% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$188,200

3.98% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

45,372

2.07% 1-year growth

About

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 (354 degrees awarded in 2023) and Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program (19 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Jefferson County, NY was $188,200, and the homeownership rate was 54.7%.

Most people in Jefferson County, NY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 19.5 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 115k people, from which 98.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 4.58% of Jefferson County, NY residents were born outside of the country (5.27k people).

In 2024, there were 18.3 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (92.2k people) in Jefferson County, NY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 5.03k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 4.98k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.2%

2024 Citizenship

98.2%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.2% of Jefferson County, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Jefferson County, NY was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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)
92.2k ± 366
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
5.03k ± 576
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
4.98k ± 514

7.53%

Hispanic Population

8.66k people

7.53% of the people in Jefferson County, NY are hispanic (8.66k people).

The following chart shows the 8 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
493,200 ± 17,027 people
China
410,969 ± 15,575 people
Jamaica
234,174 ± 11,811 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 493,200 New York residents, followed by China with 410,969 and Jamaica with 234,174.

Foreign-Born Population

4.58%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

5.27k people

4.66%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.41k people

As of 2024, 4.58% of Jefferson County, NY residents (5.27k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Jefferson County, NY was 4.66%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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-)
5,091 ± 562
Vietnam
1,600 ± 186
Gulf War (1990s)
1,450 ± 261

Jefferson County, NY has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 3.18 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Jefferson County, NY.

Economy

The economy of Jefferson County, NY employs 45.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Jefferson County, NY were Health Care & Social Assistance (7,528 people), Retail Trade (6,341 people), and Educational Services (4,620 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($79,366), Public Administration ($68,686), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($59,630).

Employment

Occupations

45.4k

2024 Value

± 1,554

2.07%

1 Year growth

± 4.74%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jefferson County, NY grew at a rate of 2.07%, from 44.5k employees to 45.4k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Jefferson County, NY, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (5,373 people), Sales & Related Occupations (4,865 people), and Management Occupations (4,142 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 New York.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

45.4k

2024 Value

± 1,554

2.07%

1 Year growth

± 4.74%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Jefferson County, NY grew at a rate of 2.07%, from 44.5k employees to 45.4k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Jefferson County, NY, are Health Care & Social Assistance (7,528 people), Retail Trade (6,341 people), and Educational Services (4,620 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

$47,669

Median earning men ± $2,014

$37,108

Median earning women ± $1,456

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($72,220), Information ($61,667), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($61,118).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($61,736), Construction ($59,112), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($52,690).

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.

The visualization shows the 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 2023, universities in Jefferson County, NY awarded 373 degrees. The student population of Jefferson County, NY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 871 male students and 1,404 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Jefferson County, NY are White (287 and 77.6%), Hispanic or Latino (29 and 7.84%), Black or African American (29 and 7.84%), and Two or More Races (11 and 2.97%).

The largest universities in Jefferson County, NY by number of degrees awarded are Jefferson Community College (354 and 94.9%) and Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program (19 and 5.09%).

The most popular majors in Jefferson County, NY are Humanistic Studies (58 and 15.5%), Registered Nursing (52 and 13.9%), and General Business Administration & Management (47 and 12.6%).

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 2023 was 2,275 (38.3% men and 61.7% 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 2023 there were 2,275 students enrolled in Jefferson County, NY, 38.3% men and 61.7% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,475 records, of which 65.6% were women and 34.4% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
47 degrees awarded
Humanistic Studies
58 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
52 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Jefferson County, NY was General Business Administration & Management with 47 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
354 degrees awarded
Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
19 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Jefferson Community College with 354 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 129 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Jefferson County, NY, which is 0.529 times less than the 244 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 287 degrees mean that there were 9.9 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 29 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 2023.

Public, 2-year ($744) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Jefferson County, NY was $188,200 in 2024, which is 0.566 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $181,000 to $188,200, a 3.98% increase. The homeownership rate in Jefferson County, NY is 54.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Jefferson County, NY have an average commute time of 19.5 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.

In 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.95%.

Housing

Property

$188,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$6,002

$26,018

Median Property Taxes

±$966

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

54.7%

Homeownership

2024

64.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 54.7% of the housing units in Jefferson County, NY were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 54.1%.

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

Equity

Household Income

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

$66,301

Median Household Income

± $2,730

47.6k

Number of Households

± 1,636

In 2024, the median household income of the 47.6k households in Jefferson County, NY grew to $66,301 from the previous year's value of $64,978.

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.

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

0.494

2022 Wage GINI in New York

In 2023, the income inequality in New York was 0.493 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0797% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.476. 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 2024

Drove Alone (77.6%)
Carpooled (8.34%)
Worked At Home (7.69%)

In 2024, 77.6% of workers in Jefferson County, NY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (8.34%) and those who worked at home (7.69%).

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

19.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Jefferson County, NY have a shorter commute time (19.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.83% 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 2025, 13.1% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 0.95%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

13.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Jefferson County, NY (15.1k out of 110k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Males < 5 and then Males 25 - 34.

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

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 2025, 18.8% of the children was living in poverty in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5%.

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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2022, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 213 in Jefferson County, NY. From 2014 to 2022, the indicator grew 36.4 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

94.5% of the population of Jefferson County, NY has health coverage, with 32.8% on employee plans, 20.5% on Medicaid, 11.2% on Medicare, 17.9% on non-group plans, and 12.1% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Jefferson County, NY see 1,971 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,971 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1070 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 403 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

1,971 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Jefferson County, NY

Primary care physicians in Jefferson County, NY see an average of 1,971 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,971 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 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 27.7% under 18 years, 21.7% between 18 and 34 years, 34.4% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 48.2% were men and 51.8% were women.

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

Uninsured People

5.48%

Uninsured

32.8%

Employer Coverage

20.5%

Medicaid

11.2%

Medicare

17.9%

Non-Group

12.1%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Jefferson County, NY declined by 4.75% from 5.76% to 5.48%.

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 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 59.3 in Jefferson County, NY.

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

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, 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 37.4% in Jefferson County, NY.

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