Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Watertown’s weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $217K, 3.3 years of the Watertown metro’s $66K median household income. Schools are weaker too: its schools rank behind just over four fifths of the state's. Hazard risk is its strong suit (A−). The overall grade lands at D−, better than 3% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 732nd of 745 in New York. Only 17 of New York’s 1,187 towns score lower on civic life. The town’s rent at the middle of the market is $1,611 a month, above both the New York town median ($1,098 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Only 112 of New York’s 1,216 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Figures: FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · USGS PAD-US.
Where Watertown beats most towns.
4,470 counted in 2010 and 5,913 in 2020; an estimated 5,364 in 2025.
Since 2020 the trend has turned: down 9.1%, after 32.3% growth in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Watertown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 9,336 in 1870, a peak of 34,350 in 1950, 24,685 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 5 maps from 1895 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watertown, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Watertown.
Watertown draws workers from Watertown and beyond and gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, but it trails Hounsfield and its other neighbors on schools.
4,176 jobs are based in Watertown, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 23.6 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
For half of commuters, work is under 7 miles away. Jobs based in Watertown fell to 4,176 in 2023, 755 fewer than in 2013. Commuting out is the norm here: just over a tenth of working residents work locally. The top destinations are Watertown (32%), Adams (6%) and Le Ray (3%).
| Watertown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, Hounsfield highest at B.
Its one school is below. 267 students attend Watertown’s public school.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BocesLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 267 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 86% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Watertown, 76% come from inland flooding and 7% from strong winds. Paid flood insurance claims here since 1978: 3.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Watertown weather station records that 116 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
The peak summer temperature for Watertown comes to 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16% of adults smoke cigarettes in Watertown. On the CDC’s 32 measures, Watertown is ahead of New York on 1 and behind on 9. In Watertown, 19% of adults binge drink, and 39% have obesity.
| Watertown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 37% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Watertown | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with high cholesterol | 33.7% | 37.7% |
| More smokers | 15.7% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The biggest park or preserve is Black River at Huntingtonville Waterway Access, at 31 acres. 3.5 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Watertown’s trail network density stands at 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Watertown | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Thompson Park | 1.3 mi | 29 |
| 2. Black River at Huntingtonville Waterway Access | — | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Watertown
About 6 of every 100 Watertown residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
Where Watertown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
31 notable people were born in Watertown.
City in New York, United States
Watertown is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately 25 miles (40 km) south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River, about 5 miles (8 km) east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the town of Watertown to the south, east, and west, and is served by the Watertown International Airport and the Watertown Daily Times newspaper. In the middle of Watertown lies the Public Square Historic District, which was built in 1805 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1984. Watertown is located 13 miles (21 kilometers) southwest of the U.S. Army base at Fort Drum; it is the service and shopping…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Watertown.
All 5 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Rutland (C−) is closest.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown | #732 | D− | D | — | C− | C+ |
| Watertown | #724 | D− | C+ | D | D | C |
| Glen Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Brownville | #416 | B− | B | — | B− | B |
| Rutland | #652 | C− | C+ | — | B− | C+ |
| Hounsfield | #513 | C | D | — | B | B |
| Le Ray | #622 | C− | C− | — | C+ | B+ |
| Pamelia | #375 | B− | A− | — | C+ | B− |
Watertown, Brownville, Rutland, Hounsfield, Le Ray and Pamelia report no FBI crime data of their own. Glen Park isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Watertown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Watertown grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #732 of 745 in New York. It grades C+ for health and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
31 notable people were born here, including Allen Dulles and Robert Lansing.