County · New York
St. Lawrence County, New York
St. Lawrence County, New York has a quality-of-life score of 58 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #1,318 of 3,143 US counties. Within New York it ranks #58 of 62 counties. It ranks best on firearm deaths (low), suicide rate (low) and hot days (low). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), effective property tax rate (high) and child care cost burden (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #1,318 of 3,143 counties
- New York
- #58 of 62 in NY
- Population
- 105,488 (2025)
- Land area
- 2,680 mi²
- Density
- 39.4 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 36089
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety92#260/3,096
- Economy23#2,411/3,143
- Housing33#2,099/3,140
- Health57#1,360/3,144
- Healthcare68#994/3,143
- Environment85#478/3,108
- Education62#1,204/3,144
- Infrastructure54#1,455/3,144
- Community25#2,348/3,144
- Leisure & amenities55#1,427/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where St. Lawrence County, New York ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Firearm deaths · low9.4 /100k97/100New York 4.2 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
- Suicide rate · low16.8 /100k97/100New York 8.5 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional data
- Hot days · low2 days93/100New York 3 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
- Mammography screening · high56.0%
- Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
- Uninsured residents (under 65) · low5.8%
Weaknesses
- New business applications · low5.8 /1k
- Effective property tax rate · high1.93%
- Child care cost burden · high42.4%4/100New York 37.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Comfortable days · low22.1%
- Adult obesity · high42.9%
- Voter turnout · low53.0%
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
42.0% (2010 & 2021) → 56.6% (2022 & 2024)
+15 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
- New business applicationsImproving
3.4 /1k (2020) → 5.8 /1k (2025)
+73%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
- Flu vaccinationsWorsening
53.0% (2019) → 44.0% (2023)
−9 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
- Child care cost burdenWorsening
33.4% (2020 & 2021) → 42.4% (2023 & 2024)
+8.9 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
- Adult obesityWorsening
34.6% (2019) → 42.9% (2023)
+8.3 pts4 yearsUS 32.1% → 38.2%
- Preventable hospital staysImproving
4,327 /100k (2019) → 2,559 /100k (2023)
−41%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k
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 St. Lawrence County, New York five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of St. Lawrence 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 Massena-Ogdensburg, 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
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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 St. Lawrence County belongs to. A county is in at most one.
Cities and towns in St. Lawrence County
Places whose residents live mostly in St. Lawrence County, largest first.
- Massena10,238
- Ogdensburg9,455
- Potsdam8,427
- Canton7,167
- Gouverneur3,615
- Norwood1,374
- Norfolk1,204
- Waddington1,062
- Brasher Falls776
- Hannawa Falls744
- Star Lake713
- Madrid641
- Hermon636
- Parishville634
- Hailesboro583
- Heuvelton546
- Winthrop530
- DeKalb Junction511
- Edwards490
- Rensselaer Falls483
- Morristown384
- Hammond320
- Richville311
- Colton260
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Franklin County, NY72Alike on Dry days, July high, Wildfire risk
- Steuben County, NY74Alike on Property tax, July high, Dental shortage
- Chautauqua County, NY65Alike on Suicides, Property tax, Dry days
- Cattaraugus County, NY49Alike on Property tax, Dry days, Child care cost
- Oswego County, NY63Alike on Property tax, Firearm deaths, July high
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 2026-10-08
- 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
- 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