Jefferson County, NY
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 44.00, -76.05.
Assembled 2026-10-06. Read the brief.
- 50th pct · 1,515th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 40th of 62 New York counties · median $256,722
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 80th pct · 589th of 3,063 US counties · median +2.9%
- 65th pct · 22nd of 62 New York counties · median +5.7%
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 50th pct · 688th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 43rd pct · 28th of 49 New York counties · median $1,531
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 80th pct · 615th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 59th pct · 26th of 62 New York counties · median 32,139
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 66th pct · 1,066th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 22nd pct · 48th of 62 New York counties · median $1,250
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
- 44th pct · 1,686th of 3,063 US counties · median 4.3
- 42nd pct · 36th of 62 New York counties · median 4.1
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $235,648 (Aug 2026), +6.1% over one year, +30.8% over five
- 50th pct · 1,515th of 3,063 US counties · median $234,566
- 36th pct · 40th of 62 New York counties · median $256,722
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NY | $235,648 · +6.1% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $1,504/mo (Aug 2026), +7.0% over one year; price-to-rent 13.1
- 50th pct · 688th of 1,399 US counties · median $1,496
- 43rd pct · 28th of 49 New York counties · median $1,531
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NY | $1,504/mo · +7.0% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $1,290 a month on $235,648 at 7.28%, against an average weekly wage worth $4,875 a month: 26.5% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $235,648 × 80% = $188,519, r = 7.28%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-01), n = 360 → $1,290/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,125 × 52 / 12 = $4,875) = 26% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $235,648 / ($1,125 × 52) = 4.0
- price-to-rent = $235,648 / ($1,504 × 12) = 13.1
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
39,447 jobs at 2,911 employers (2026 Q1); +0.2% jobs and +4.7% average weekly wage over the year
- 80th pct · 615th of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 59th pct · 26th of 62 New York counties · median 32,139
- counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro: Rank context is unavailable: the manifest lists 1 counties in the Watertown-Fort Drum metro; fewer than 5 is too few to rank.
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County, NY | 39,447 jobs · $1,125/wk · +0.2% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 7,617 | $1,199 | 1.28 | +11.5% |
| Retail trade | 5,349 | $741 | 1.39 | -2.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3,367 | $495 | 0.95 | +0.1% |
| Manufacturing | 1,650 | $1,238 | 0.52 | -4.3% |
| Construction | 1,530 | $1,300 | 0.74 | -2.0% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 1,505 | $1,034 | 0.91 | +12.7% |
| Other services | 1,342 | $645 | 1.14 | -3.3% |
| Professional and technical services | 956 | $1,411 | 0.35 | -1.4% |
| Administrative and waste services | 826 | $2,178 | 0.37 | -10.8% |
| Wholesale trade | 818 | $1,387 | 0.54 | -8.0% |
| Finance and insurance | 709 | $1,790 | 0.44 | +0.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 600 | $1,053 | 2.11 | -3.7% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$2.2 bn in deposits at 29 offices of 8 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 2,591, highly concentrated. $879.0 m federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $717.2 m, contracts $101.4 m), $22,284 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Watertown Savings Bank | $784.3 m · 36.5% share · 10 offices | |
| Community Bank, National Association | $673.5 m · 31.3% share · 6 offices | |
| Carthage Savings and Loan, National Association | $241.7 m · 11.2% share · 2 offices | |
| Jefferson, NY | $879.0 m FY2026 · $22,284/job | |
| MULTIPLE RECIPIENTS | $694.0 m · top recipient FY2026 |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown Savings Bank | $784,288,000 | 36.5% | 10 |
| Community Bank, National Association | $673,458,000 | 31.3% | 6 |
| Carthage Savings and Loan, National Association | $241,738,000 | 11.2% | 2 |
| KeyBank National Association | $229,065,000 | 10.7% | 3 |
| WSB Municipal Bank | $98,451,000 | 4.6% | 1 |
| Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association | $89,361,000 | 4.2% | 3 |
| The Upstate National Bank | $17,908,000 | 0.8% | 1 |
| GS&L Municipal Bank | $15,945,000 | 0.7% | 3 |
Deposit concentration is 2,591 across 8 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls highly concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 8 banks with deposits in the county = 36.5² + 31.3² + 11.2² + … (5 more) = 2,591
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
USAspending place-of-performance obligations for FY2026, by awarding agency.
| Awarding agency | Obligations |
|---|---|
| Social Security Administration | $506,800,629 |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | $189,404,577 |
| Department of Defense | $80,184,462 |
| Department of Education | $34,200,735 |
| Department of Transportation | $23,194,816 |
| Department of Homeland Security | $12,193,611 |
| Department of Agriculture | $9,184,775 |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | $7,563,378 |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $7,157,052 |
| General Services Administration | $3,663,903 |
| Department of the Interior | $1,876,973 |
| Railroad Retirement Board | $1,605,497 |
That is $22,284 per covered job, against 39,447 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $879.0 m / 39,447 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $22,284
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 12.69 | 2026-10-05 | +3.3% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.60 | 2026-10-06 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 6.00 | 2026-09-22 | -14.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 6,830.00 | 2026-08-01 | +7.4% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 96.16 | 2026-09-29 | -3.2% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.28 | 2026-10-01 | +3.6% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 646,347.00 | 2026-08-01 | +1.1% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Jefferson County, NY: 7 findings, 1 at a watch level and 6 noted
watchJefferson County, NY's average weekly wage of $1,125 scores 67 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 23 across New York counties, a gap of 44 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 44 = |67 across US counties - 23 across New York counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteJefferson County, NY's average weekly wage was 4.7% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +4.7 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteJefferson County, NY's typical asking rent fell 0.9% from $1,518 in July 2026 to $1,504 in August 2026, on Zillow ZORI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- -0.9% = (1503.9166199813255 - 1517.6525064862049) / 1517.6525064862049 × 100
- 1503.9166199813255 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-08
- 1517.6525064862049 = Zillow ZORI, 2026-07
noteJefferson County, NY's typical home value rose 0.4% from $234,655 in July 2026 to $235,648 in August 2026, on Zillow ZHVI.
Period 2026-08.Show the arithmetic
- +0.4% = (235648.36163914055 - 234654.88891713493) / 234654.88891713493 × 100
- 235648.36163914055 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-08
- 234654.88891713493 = Zillow ZHVI, 2026-07
noteJefferson County, NY's covered employment was 0.2% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +0.2 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
Read all 7 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.