Work & commute · Watertown

Work & commute in Watertown, NY

44% of Watertown’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Watertown (9%), Le Ray (3%) and Pamelia (3%). Half commute less than 3 miles.

Census LEHD commute flows, 2023 Census ACS commute times

Work in town

44%

3,358 of 7,613 working residents

Typical commute

3 mi

Half commute less than this, straight-line

Average commute time

16 min

One way, from the Census survey

Work from home

of workers, from the Census survey

Coming and going

Who leaves, who stays, who comes in

On a workday 4,255 Watertown residents head out of town to work, 3,358 work right here, and 9,510 people come in from elsewhere to fill jobs in Watertown.

4,255live here, work elsewhere

3,358live and work here

9,510work here, live elsewhere

Leave for workStayCome in

The map

Where Watertown goes to work

Watertown (in town)right here

44%3,358

Watertown2.8 mi away

9%722

Le Ray9.2 mi away

3%202

Pamelia5.7 mi away

3%199

Syracuse65.4 mi away

2%169

Hounsfield20.3 mi away

2%122

Albany139.4 mi away

2%117

New York249.9 mi away

1%108

Adams11.5 mi away

1%92

Brownville9.4 mi away

1%89

Everywhere elseother towns and states

32%2,435

Lines run between town centers; a thicker line means more commuters. The top 10 towns each way.

How far

How far Watertown commutes

Straight-line distance from home to work, for every working resident. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.

62%

27%

62%Under 10 mi

8%10–24 mi

4%25–50 mi

27%Over 50 mi

Job hub or commuter town?

Watertown is a job hub

1.69jobs per working resident

A job hub

1.7 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.

The jobs

What the jobs in Watertown are

12,868 jobs are based in Watertown. Here is what they are, next to the jobs Watertown’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Jobs based in Watertown

12,868 jobs

Goods (factories, building, farms)7%

Trade, transport & utilities15%

Services (health, schools, offices…)77%

$1,250 a month or less13%

$1,251–$3,333 a month31%

Over $3,333 a month56%

Jobs Watertown residents hold

7,613 working residents

Goods (factories, building, farms)10%

Trade, transport & utilities21%

Services (health, schools, offices…)69%

$1,250 a month or less17%

$1,251–$3,333 a month35%

Over $3,333 a month48%

−15%

Jobs based in Watertown, 2013 → 2023: 15,074 → 12,868. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.

About these numbers

How to read this page

Every worker, home to workThe Census links each worker’s home block to their main job’s block, for jobs covered by unemployment insurance. That’s most jobs, but not the self-employed.

Where the employer saysA job counts where the employer reports it. Some big employers report one address for many sites, which can make a few commutes look longer than they are.

Two surveysFlows, distances and jobs: LEHD 2023. Commute time and working from home: the Census American Community Survey.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs; American Community Survey 5-year estimates.