Rank

2982of 3,144

Jefferson, New York

Score 4.58 / 10· population 114,787

Jefferson County lies where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, with Watertown as its one city and the snowy Tug Hill Plateau reaching into its south. Fort Drum, base of the Army's 10th Mountain Division, is northern New York's largest single-site employer, and the median resident was 34.8 years old in 2024. Owners' property tax that year worked out to about $1,320 per $100,000 of median home value, from a median bill of $2,712, against $890 nationally.

Sources
  • Jefferson County is in the northern tier of New York State at the junction of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River ny.gov
  • Watertown is the only city among Jefferson County's municipalities ny.gov
  • Part of the Tug Hill Plateau is in the southern part of the county ny.gov
  • Jefferson County has Fort Drum, the largest Army installation in the Northeast ny.gov
  • The Tug Hill Plateau, just south of Watertown, is known for its abundant snow visit1000islands.com
  • Fort Drum is home of the 10th Mountain Division (LI) home.army.mil
  • Fort Drum is the largest single-site employer in northern New York (2025 economic impact statement page) home.army.mil
  • ACS 2024 1-year, table B01002: Jefferson County median age 34.8 api.censusreporter.org
  • ACS 2024 1-year, tables B25103 and B25077: Jefferson County median real estate taxes paid $2,712 on a median home value of $204,800, about $1,324 per $100,000 api.censusreporter.org
  • ACS 2024 1-year, tables B25103 and B25077: United States median real estate taxes paid $3,211 on a median home value of $360,600, about $890 per $100,000 api.censusreporter.org

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values

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Eleven factors

Government behavior

  1. Fraser Institute state ranking (state)4.4
  2. 2A (state)0.0
  3. GOP + LP vote for President6.2
  4. Sales tax2.7
  5. Property tax3.4

Environment

  1. Air quality6.7
  2. Floods / hurricanes2.2

Private behavior

  1. Homicide rate9.1
  2. Life expectancy7.1
  3. Government employees2.4
  4. Single-parent households6.1

Neighbors