Most of Black River commutes out: there are 0.1 jobs for every working resident
There are 45 jobs in Black River; 367 of its residents have a job. Black River grades C+ for jobs and income and D for walkability. 5% of workers have no commute at all, where New York as a whole has 15%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Black River, in a few figures
Black River is a place people come home to
There are 45 jobs based in Black River, about one for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Black River has about 890 people in it, 27% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Black River are quick
The average trip to work takes 18 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 115 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
30% of Black River works in Watertown
111 working residents, 30%, have their main job in Watertown, 6.2 miles away. That’s far more as work in Black River itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 367 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Black River
On income, poverty and job access, Black River is better than 39% of U.S. towns. Household income holds Black River’s grade up ($86,645, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 24% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (19.8%) is left out: Black River’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Black River could be anywhere from C− to B.
How a workday changes Black River
On a workday 366 residents head out to work, 1 work right here, and 44 people come in from elsewhere.
About 890 people are in Black River on a workday afternoon, 27% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
About 18 minutes each way for Black River’s commuters
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Black River workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 731 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
30% of working residents work in Watertown
Where Black River clocks in
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The kinds of work in Black River
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Black River, 2013 → 2023: 112 → 45. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Black River’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Black River
About 34% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Driving is how Black River gets around
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Black River is more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 32.9% across New York.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 767 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 8.9% of Black River households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Black River’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Black River ranks: 1,945th of 4,312 U.S. towns of 800 to 1,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Somerset MD | 1,151 | $250K | 1.9% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| 2 | Bellerose NY | 1,169 | $232K | 1.6% | 6.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Baxter Estates NY | 1,014 | $154K | 1.0% | 3.1% | 1% | A+ |
| 4 | Saddle Rock NY | 1,008 | $176K | 0.8% | 2.3% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,943 | Big Island Township OH | 1,179 | $44K | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2% | C+ |
| 1,944 | Liberty Township OH | 1,078 | $61K | 10.3% | 1.1% | 7% | C+ |
| 1,945 | Black River NY | 1,208 | $87K | 11.8% | 19.8% | <1% | C+ |
| 1,946 | Millbrook NY | 1,442 | $74K | 12.6% | 2.7% | 12% | C+ |
| 1,947 | Chico TX | 1,116 | $76K | 10.5% | 14.7% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 4,312 | Oglala SD | 1,071 | $21K | 68.8% | 26.5% | 0% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Black River, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Next door to Black River
The biggest share goes to Le Ray (4%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Black River workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black River | – | C+ | D | 18 min | $86,645 |
| Rutland | under 2% | C− | D | 23 min | $72,404 |
| Le Ray | 4% | C− | B− | 13 min | $63,073 |
| Fort Drum | under 2% | — | — | 11 min | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Fort Drum: a Census-designated place inside a larger town, graded as part of it. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Black River’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Black River: questions
What is the median household income in Black River?
$86,645 (±$12,368) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Black River?
11.8%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Black River?
18 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Black River work?
<1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Watertown (30%, 6 mi), Watertown (7%, 8 mi), Albany (4%, 137 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Black River walkable?
Black River is more walkable than 12% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.7 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Black River without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 9% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Black River, from the people who make the trip.
More of Black River
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.