WatertownFL
A town of 3,068, settled in 1890. Public schools that outperform most of Florida.
Is Watertown a good place to live?
Watertown gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $114K for a typical one, or 1.9 years of the Lake City area’s $59K median household income. It grades C overall, 377th of 634 graded towns in Florida. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $41K, and 42% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 75% of Florida towns. 42% of residents live below the poverty line in Watertown, above both Florida’s towns (11%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 72 of Florida’s 779 towns score higher on hazard risk. Watertown has 1 place on the National Register.
What makes Watertown stand out
Where Watertown beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
How Watertown grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Florida), ordered by how far Watertown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Watertown: who provides what
Watertown is unincorporated, so Columbia County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 17, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Watertown.
Watertown pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has a longer frost-free season than most of the country, though not than most of Florida.
Watertown stands out in Florida and nationally: a larger share of its adults smoke cigarettes
22% of Watertown adults smoke cigarettes. Watertown beats the Florida average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 25. 38% of Watertown adults get no exercise outside work.
| Watertown | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 20% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 13% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Watertown | FL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 14.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.2% | 12.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For schools, Watertown earns an A−
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $114K.
Its public schools are run by the Columbia school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastside Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 655 | A− |
| First Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades K–10 | Grades K–10 | 19 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within FL on state tests and graduation
Watertown has mild winters and hot summers
The Lake City 2 E weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 273 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 89% of Florida places with climate records. January nights average 41.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 91% of Florida places with climate records; July afternoons average 91.8°.
Watertown has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Watertown is 41°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Watertown | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 51°F | 22°F |
| July high | 92°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most of Watertown’s workers commute out: the town has 0.8 jobs for each of them
The average commute for its 1,162 working residents takes 18.1 minutes, against 28 across Florida.
Most working residents leave Watertown for work: only 2% work in town. Watertown’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Since 2013, Watertown has lost 185 jobs, to 936 in 2023.
| Watertown | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $73,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.4% | 5% | 8% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hurricanes leads a moderate hazard risk in Watertown
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Watertown has set aside 0.1% of its land for conservation
Just 1 of its 1,606 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Watertown itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Watertown | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 3% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alligator Lake Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median rent in Watertown is lower than in the typical Florida or U.S. town
Homes are within reach (B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 29 miles. At 1.9 years of the Lake City area’s $59K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 98% of Florida towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
55% of households own their home in Watertown.
| Watertown | Florida towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 72% | 73% |
| Median rent | $851 a month | $1,647 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Everything we know about Watertown
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Watertown
About 4 of every 100 Watertown residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Florida.
About Watertown
CDP in Florida, United States
Watertown is a census-designated place (CDP) in Columbia County, Florida, United States. It had a population of 3,018 at the 2020 census, up from 2,829 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lake City, Florida Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 2.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 187 ft
- Area code
- 386
Watertown’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Watertown.
Watertown and Lake City report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Watertown with a neighbor →
Questions about Watertown
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watertown, FL a good place to live?
Watertown grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #377 of 634 in Florida. It grades D− for health and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Watertown, FL expensive?
Not for the area. The typical home is worth about $114,000, 70% below the Florida typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.