Metro area · New York
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY is a metropolitan area of 1 county in New York, home to 111,540 residents. Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area has a quality-of-life score of 79 out of 100 (high), ranking #194 of 925 US metro and micro areas. Among metro and micro areas based in New York it ranks #13 of 27. It ranks best on public libraries (high), dentists (high) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), comfortable days (low) and voter turnout (low).
- Quality-of-life score
- #194 of 925 metro and micro areas
- New York
- #13 of 27 in NY
- Population
- 111,540 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,268 mi²
- Density
- 88.0 /mi²
- CBSA code
- 48060
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.
- Safety89#103/924
- Economy43#524/925
- Housing52#445/925
- Health75#234/925
- Healthcare79#199/923
- Environment84#152/917
- Education63#342/925
- Infrastructure80#184/925
- Community45#506/925
- Leisure & amenities74#242/925
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Public libraries · high2.2 /10k97/100New York 0.5 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
- Dentists · high100 /100k95/100New York 84 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Hot days · low2 days93/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Firearm deaths · low8.2 /100k91/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
- Public EV charging ports · high12.6 /10k89/100New York 10.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
- Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · low5.7 µg/m³89/100New York 7.2 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Weaknesses
- New business applications · low7.2 /1k
- Comfortable days · low22.2%3/100New York 22.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
- Voter turnout · low49.3%6/100New York 59.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
- Child care cost burden · high39.8%7/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
- Gyms and fitness centers · low0.4 /10k8/100New York 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
- High ozone days · high3 days10/100New York 4 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 3 days (2022)
+200%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
- New homes permittedImproving
1.4 /1k (2021) → 3.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+121%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
- Voter turnoutWorsening
60.0% (2020) → 49.4% (2024)
−11 pts4 yearsUS 68.5% → 65.2%
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
52.2% (2010 & 2021) → 62.8% (2022 & 2024)
+11 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- Preventable hospital staysImproving
4,384 /100k (2019) → 2,077 /100k (2023)
−53%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k
- New business applicationsImproving
4.8 /1k (2020) → 7.2 /1k (2025)
+50%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
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.
Metro and micro areas like Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Watertown-Fort Drum, NY metro area 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
Jobs and pay
What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.
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.
Federal contract spending
Federal grants & assistance
Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.
Counties in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.
Principal cities
The cities the area is named for.
Largest cities and towns
By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.
- Watertown24,375
- Fort Drum16,065
- Carthage3,510
- Calcium2,935
- West Carthage1,864
- Clayton1,661
- Black River1,651
- Adams1,531
- Sackets Harbor1,490
- Alexandria Bay1,212
- Adams Center1,075
- Theresa945
- Great Bend938
- Pamelia Center907
- Philadelphia821
- Dexter754
- Brownville700
- Antwerp683
- Cape Vincent658
- Evans Mills653
- Chaumont650
- Glen Park624
- La Fargeville512
- Pierrepont Manor425
Other metro and micro areas in New York
Areas based in New York, best score first.
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ68
- Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY81
- Rochester, NY83
- Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY92
- Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY81
- Syracuse, NY85
- Utica-Rome, NY82
- Binghamton, NY77
- Kingston, NY90
- Glens Falls, NY88
- Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY66
- Massena-Ogdensburg, NY48
- Ithaca, NY92
- Corning, NY73
- Monticello, NY64
- Elmira, NY66
- Plattsburgh, NY76
- Olean, NY43
- Auburn, NY62
- Oneonta, NY83
- Hudson, NY86
- Batavia, NY78
- Gloversville, NY63
- Amsterdam, NY43
Neighboring metro and micro areas
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar metro and micro areas
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Utica-Rome, NY82Alike on July high, Dry days, Child care cost
- Syracuse, NY85Alike on Dry days, Comfortable days, July high
- Binghamton, NY77Alike on Comfortable days, July high, New businesses
- Jamestown-Dunkirk, NY66Alike on Dry days, Ozone days, July high
- Cortland, NY82Alike on Dry days, July high, Avg temperature
Data and sources
Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.
- Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
- PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
- Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
- Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
- Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
- Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-10-06
- Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
- nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
- Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
- Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
- Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
- American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
- Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
- Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
- 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
- Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
- Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
- Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
- County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
- Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08