Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety77#3,623/15,637
Economy28#11,296/15,631
Housing23#11,590/14,977
Health61#6,140/15,609
Healthcare40#9,361/15,650
Environment95#731/15,453
Education57#6,696/15,649
Infrastructure21#12,395/15,650
Community33#10,411/15,651
Leisure & amenities73#4,216/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Black River, New York ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Jefferson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Hot days · low2 days
94/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationJefferson County value
Public libraries · high2.2 /10k
93/100New York 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesJefferson County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.7 µg/m³
92/100New York 7.2 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyJefferson County value
Mammography screening · high55.0%
91/100New York 46.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Dentists · high100 /100k
89/100New York 84 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJefferson County value
Students per teacher · low11.6×
89/100New York 12.0×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsJefferson County value

Weaknesses

Unemployment rate · high19.8%
1/100New York 4.3%United States 4.3%2020-2024U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census table B23025High uncertainty
Time spent in the emergency room · high260 min
2/100New York 202 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJefferson County value
New business applications · low7.2 /1k
3/100New York 15.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauJefferson County value
Voter turnout · low49.3%
4/100New York 59.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionJefferson County value
Comfortable days · low22.2%
4/100New York 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationJefferson County value
Hospital quality rating · low2.0
9/100New York 2.8United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesJefferson County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,246 (2015-2019) → 1,651 (2020-2024)
+33%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
17.1% (2015-2019) → 52.1% (2020-2024)
+35 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.6 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Unemployment rateWorsening
3.1% (2015-2019) → 19.8% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$59,750 (2015-2019) → $86,645 (2020-2024)
+45%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
22.6% (2015-2019) → 30.3% (2020-2024)
+7.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Black River, New York improved on 1 of 11 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Household income+45%$59,750 → $86,645

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Black River, New York between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.7 min2015-2019	17.7 min2020-2024	−0.0 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Bachelor's degree or higher	30.0%2015-2019	32.4%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Broadband subscriptions	85.6%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+3.8 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Effective property tax rate	1.96%2015-2019	1.71%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	69%
High school diploma or higher	95.3%2015-2019	97.5%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.4262020-2024	+0.009	Within the margin of error	43%
Median household income	$59,7502015-2019	$86,6452020-2024	+45%	Improved	80%
Poverty rate	9.1%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.6%2015-2019	30.3%2020-2024	+7.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Black River, New York five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Black River, New York in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Black River, New York itself moved −3.3 points in standing on average over the same 9 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,651 residents (±424)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 40–49 men (+8.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,651 residents (±424)

Black River, New York
New York share

White84%1,394
Black0.0%0
Hispanic or Latino1.5%†25
Asian6.5%†108
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races7.5%†124

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,193 residents (±310)

Black River, New York
New York share

No high school diploma2.5%†30
High school or GED34%†406
Some college19%†228
Associate degree12%†142
Bachelor's degree18%†220
Graduate degree14%†167

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

698 households (±172)

Black River, New York
New York share

Under $25k22%†151
$25k–50k12%†87
$50k–75k4.6%†32
$75k–100k19%†131
$100k–150k16%†114
$150k–200k16%†115
$200k or more9.7%†68

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (−12.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

698 households (±172)

Black River, New York
New York share

Own63%441
Rent37%†257

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

198 households (±92)

Black River, New York
New York share

Under $75043%†85
$750–1,00016%†31
$1,000–1,50014%†28

Home values

441 homes (±126)

Black River, New York
New York share

Under $150k16%†72
$150k–250k41%†183
$250k–400k34%†149

Age of homes

782 homes (±177)

Black River, New York
New York share

2010 or later6.7%†52
2000–20094.2%†33
1980–199922%†173

Size of homes

782 homes (±177)

Black River, New York
New York share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom9.7%†76
2 bedrooms28%†216

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

767 workers (±221)

Black River, New York
New York share

Drive alone87%†670
Carpool6.5%†50
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home4.7%†36
Other1.4%†11

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

731 workers (±211)

Black River, New York
New York share

Under 15 min42%†304
15–29 min44%†321
30–44 min9.6%†70

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Jefferson County, the county holding most of Black River's residents.

Jefferson County has 2,348 employer establishments, 207 for every 10,000 residents (0.83× the US rate of 248; 0.76× New York's), with 28,622 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,718. The Census Bureau also counts 6,068 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,348; 6,068 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 207; US 248 · New York 274
Paid employees: 28,622
Average annual pay: $48,718; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Jefferson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	237	20.9	1.14×About typical	3,267	$22,816	32
Ambulatory health care services	154	13.6	0.65×Fewer than typical	1,898	$62,952	215
Specialty trade contractors	142	12.5	0.81×About typical	821	$67,065	407
Full-service restaurants	111	9.8	1.28×More than typical	1,415	$26,411	21
Lessors of real estate	107	9.4	0.77×Fewer than typical	558	$47,944	644
Construction of buildings	103	9.1	1.20×About typical	551	$73,425	218
Limited-service restaurants	88	7.8	0.97×About typical	1,590	$19,637	6
Services to buildings and dwellings	61	5.4	0.80×Fewer than typical	217	$40,447	350
Religious organizations	60	5.3	0.95×About typical	249	$18,458	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	57	5	1.00×About typical	235	$43,898	80
Offices of physicians	50	4.4	0.68×Fewer than typical	597	$83,838	51
Amusement, gambling and recreation industries	49	4.3	1.63×More than typical	250	$32,072	52

Rank places for an industry Open Jefferson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 113,280 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $129.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Black River, New York: $78.68 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $129.9K; +615% vs FY2025
Per resident: $78.68; US $1,994
Sole-source: 55%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.3%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$129.9K100%

Top recipients

CW RESOURCES, INC.$71.3K55%
SERES-ARCADIS SB JV2 LLC$57.1K44%
CHERYL BLAND ENTERPRISES LLC$9640.7%
SECURITY ENGINEERED MACHINERY CO., INC.$3420.3%
T J PAINTING & CONTRACTING LLC$1870.1%
FIRST ENVIRONMENT INC$00.0%
MID-STATE COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONICS, INC$00.0%
GARSITE PROGRESS, LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

5.2KFY2017
13.1KFY2018
5.5KFY2019
3KFY2020
110.6KFY2021
711.5KFY2022
216.3KFY2023
29.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$71.3K55%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$58.1K45%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113$3420.3%
Nonresidential building construction · 2362$1870.1%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Black River, New York, so they do not add up across cities.

Black River, New York's figures are part of those of Jefferson County, NY ($93.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Black River is mostly in Jefferson County.

See federal money in Jefferson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Black River, New York is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Jefferson County77100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Watertown-Fort Drum, NY79

Other cities and towns in Jefferson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3606794

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends