County · New York
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County, New York has a quality-of-life score of 77 out of 100 (high), ranking #731 of 3,143 US counties. Within New York it ranks #27 of 62 counties. It ranks best on suicide rate (low), firearm deaths (low) and uninsured residents (under 65) (low). It ranks worst on time spent in the emergency room (high), comfortable days (low) and new business applications (low).
- Quality-of-life score
- #731 of 3,143 counties
- New York
- #27 of 62 in NY
- Population
- 111,540 (2025)
- Land area
- 1,268 mi²
- Density
- 88.0 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 36045
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 78 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety87#406/3,096
- Economy46#1,699/3,143
- Housing25#2,352/3,140
- Health77#727/3,144
- Healthcare75#771/3,143
- Environment89#328/3,108
- Education78#684/3,144
- Infrastructure87#413/3,144
- Community35#2,038/3,144
- Leisure & amenities77#720/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Jefferson County, New York ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Suicide rate · low13.1 /100k98/100New York 8.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
- Firearm deaths · low8.2 /100k96/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
- Uninsured residents (under 65) · low5.1%
- Dentists · high100 /100k95/100New York 84 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Hot days · low2 days93/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- Natural hazard risk · low8.8
Weaknesses
- Time spent in the emergency room · high260 min
- Comfortable days · low22.2%
- New business applications · low7.2 /1k
- Voter turnout · low49.3%
- Child care cost burden · high39.8%7/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- High ozone days · high3 days8/100New York 4 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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.
Counties like Jefferson County, New York five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Jefferson County, 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.
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.
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, NYLocal 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.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Metro area
The metro or micro area Jefferson County belongs to. A county is in at most one.
Cities and towns in Jefferson County
Places whose residents live mostly in Jefferson County, largest first.
- 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
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Oneida County, NY77Alike on Dry days, Uninsured, Child care cost
- Broome County, NY70Alike on Uninsured, July high, Comfortable days
- St. Lawrence County, NY58Alike on July high, Comfortable days, Dry days
- Steuben County, NY74Alike on Uninsured, New businesses, July high
- Cortland County, NY76Alike on Dry days, July high, Firearm deaths
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
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-07
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
- 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
