Jefferson County > Watertown (city)
Population trend for Watertown
034,0001970: 30,78730,78719701980: 27,86127,86119801990: 29,42929,42919902000: 26,70526,70520002010: 27,02327,02320102020: 24,68524,68520202023: 24,57424,5742023
U.S. Census Bureau ACS, IPUMS

Watertown is a city in Jefferson County, in the North Country region.

Community anchors include Jefferson County government, Jefferson Community College, Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown City School District and East Hounsfield Free Library.

Please note: There are multiple places in Upstate New York named Watertown: Watertown (City, Jefferson County); Watertown (Town, Jefferson County).

2023 Median income for Jefferson County communities
American Community Survey, 2023
2000
Jefferson County home price index (FHFA)
1985–2024: Home prices rose about 317%.

255 158 61 1985 2024

The numbers at left represent an index, not dollar prices. The index is set to 100 in the year 2000.

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)
Occupied housing units in Watertown
American Community Survey, 2023
Household types in Watertown
Married-couple families: 3,405 (60.1%) Married-couple families Male householder (no spouse): 643 (11.4%) Male householder (no spouse) Female householder (no spouse): 1,615 (28.5%) Female householder (no spouse) Householder living alone: 4,810 (82.5%) Householder living alone Householder not living alone: 1,021 (17.5%) Householder not living alone Family Nonfamily
ACS, 2023
Poverty rates by age group in Watertown

Pct 5 and under 31% Pct 6 to 17 30% Pct 18 to 64 19% Pct 65 and over 4%

The overall poverty rate in Watertown is 21 percent.
The highest rate is found among residents ages 5 and under.
Year: 2023

ACS, 2023

Where residents of Watertown lived in the prior year

Same house: 19,339 (79.6%) Same county (different house): 2,771 (11.4%) Different NY county: 1,156 (4.8%) Different state: 909 (3.7%) 24,305 current residents Same house: 19,339 (79.6%) Same house Same county (different house): 2,771 (11.4%) Same county (different house) Different NY county: 1,156 (4.8%) Different NY county Different state: 909 (3.7%) Different state Abroad: 130 (0.5%) Abroad (under 1%)
U.S. Census ACS, 2023
Median age of Watertown residents
32 30.6 33.4 35.6 2010 2015 2020 2023


The margin of error can be high in 2023 estimates, particularly for small towns and villages.

Changes in median age can also indicate a shift in the number of school-age children; see the Education page for enrollment trends.

U.S. Census Bureau