Watertown, New York

Population

Down 4.2% since 2020.

23,517

people, the 39th-largest of New York's cities and towns.

Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among New York's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates

The workday

7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.

73.7%

of 13,732 jobs located in Watertown are filled by in-commuters.

Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES

Unemployment, 2026

The low came in June: 4.0%.

4.4%

in August 2026, the latest month released. A year earlier it was 4.4%.

BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, monthly, through August 2026. Not seasonally adjusted, so compare with the same month a year earlier. Sources: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics

Rent

Median rent is up 53% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.

$967

a month. New York's median is $1,621.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

The seam

Cross one tract line and median rent doubles.

A $912 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Jefferson County.

• $759 Tract 604.01
• $1,671 Tract 616

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year

Room to build

Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.

$1,049–$1,573

is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.

• $967 median

Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year

Building

Most of the housing here is older than 2000.

• 0 homes permitted in ten years, 2016–2025
• 93% of all homes were built before 2000

Census Building Permits Survey, 2016–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year

Units needed

Closing the gap would add 0.4–1.0% to the 13,426 homes here.

58–137

is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.

Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac

Home value

A median home costs 63% less than New York's.

$158,600

median home value in Watertown.

• $158,600 Watertown
• $423,800 New York
• $332,700 U.S.

Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year