Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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

Population & Diversity

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY is home to a population of 115k people, from which 98.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.58% of Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY was 98.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY are hispanic (8.66k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Dominican Republic
492,198 ± 17,010 people
China
414,597 ± 15,642 people
Jamaica
229,554 ± 11,695 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of New York was Dominican Republic, the natal country of 492,198 New York residents, followed by China with 414,597 and Jamaica with 229,554.

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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY was 4.66%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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

Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY.

Economy

The economy of Watertown-Fort Drum, NY employs 45.4k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, though some of these residents may live in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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

The student population of Watertown-Fort Drum, NY in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 924 male students and 1,418 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY are White (288 and 79.1%), Hispanic or Latino (29 and 7.97%), Black or African American (16 and 4.4%), and Two or More Races (11 and 3.02%).

The largest universities in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY by number of degrees awarded are Jefferson Community College (349 and 94.1%) and Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program (22 and 5.93%).

The most popular majors in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY are Humanistic Studies (69 and 18.6%), Registered Nursing (66 and 17.8%), and General Business Administration & Management (41 and 11.1%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

Measure

In 2017 in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 88%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 63.6%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 2,342 (39.5% men and 60.5% 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 2024 there were 2,342 students enrolled in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, 39.5% men and 60.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,637 records, of which 63.5% were women and 36.5% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Humanistic Studies
69 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
66 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
41 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY was Humanistic Studies with 69 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Jefferson Community College
349 degrees awarded
Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
22 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Jefferson Community College with 349 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 113 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, which is 0.438 times less than the 258 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 288 degrees mean that there were 9.93 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 ($22,882) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($816) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,000) 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY is 54.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY have an average commute time of 19.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY grew to $66,301 from the previous year's value of $64,978.

The following chart displays the households in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY is from New York.

0.492

2024 Wage GINI in New York

0.493

2023 Wage GINI in New York

In 2024, the income inequality in New York was 0.492 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.301% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for New York was higher than than the national average of 0.474. 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY have a shorter commute time (19.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.83% of the workforce in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Watertown-Fort Drum, 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 Watertown-Fort Drum, 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

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

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

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