GeoFrame / Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY
Population 113,140 · 89.2 people / sq mi
Real earning power — does pay outrun the cost of living?
Pay here runs at 0.94× the national wage against a cost of living -12.3% vs the nation — a net earning advantage of +7.4%.
The geography at a glance
Occupations here
secondaryThe occupations we can price in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY, ranked by pay — each with its premium over the occupation's national median and the employment growth BLS actually observed here. Jobs are associated context on GeoFrame; the geography is the anchor. Open any on JobFrame for the full role.
Employment growth 2019–2024, BLS OEWS
Across the 148 occupations Watertown-Fort Drum, NY published in both 2019 and 2024, employment moved -1.1% (30,180 → 29,860jobs). A matched basket, not the metro's total employment — occupations BLS suppressed in either year are left out rather than counted as zero.
| Occupation | Metro pay | vs national | Employment growth2019–2024 | Pay source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Physicians, All Other 29-1229 | $225,670 | — | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Lawyers 23-1011 | $129,750 | -14.2% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Marketing Managers 11-2021 | $127,970 | -20.5% | +129.6%state | metro | on JobFrame › |
Managers, All Other 11-9199 | $124,090 | -9.1% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Software Developers 15-1252 | $103,710 | -22.1% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Mechanical Engineers 17-2141 | $100,040 | -2.2% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Industrial Engineers 17-2112 | $98,840 | -2.3% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Administrative Services Managers 11-3012 | $95,990 | -11.4% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Logisticians 13-1081 | $92,750 | +14.7% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Computer Occupations, All Other 15-1299 | $90,380 | -17.1% | +9.1% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Civil Engineers 17-2051 | $88,710 | -10.9% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Project Management Specialists 13-1082 | $78,720 | -21.9% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Business Operations Specialists, All Other 13-1199 | $77,940 | -4.1% | — | metro | on JobFrame › |
Accountants and Auditors 13-2011 | $76,050 | -6.9% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers 51-1011 | $74,700 | +4.9% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Human Resources Specialists 13-1071 | $72,730 | -0.2% | +45.5% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 41-3091 | $63,400 | -4.3% | +16.7% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Training and Development Specialists 13-1151 | $57,710 | -12.4% | +0.0% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Computer User Support Specialists 15-1232 | $55,910 | -7.3% | +44.4% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Paralegals and Legal Assistants 23-2011 | $55,000 | -9.9% | -16.7% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Animal Caretakers 39-2021 | $32,240 | -3.7% | -36.4% | metro | on JobFrame › |
Compare metros
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY against its two nearest-cost peers and the nation — the metrics side by side.
Watertown-Fort Drum, NY this metro | Fort Wayne, IN | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median wage | $46,630 | $46,630 | $46,610 | $49,500 |
| Pay index | 0.94× | 0.94× | 0.94× | 1.00× |
| Cost of living (RPP) | 87.7 | 92.6 | 98.2 | 100.0 |
| Real earning power | 1.07× | 1.02× | 0.96× | 1.00× |
| Population | 113,140 | 34,885 | 747,234 | — |
Methodology
How to read this profile
Every number here is traceable — to a named source, a stated method, and an edition — and each value is labeled by how we know it: observed from data, computed by a formula, projected, or governed canon. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
Where every number comes from
| What | Source & method | Edition | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-occupation median wage | BLS OEWS metropolitan-area all-occupation median | OEWS 2024 | observed |
| Pay index | Metro median ÷ national all-occupation median | OEWS 2024 | computed |
| Cost of living (RPP) | BEA Regional Price Parities (all items), national = 100 | BEA RPP 2023 | observed |
| Real earning power | Pay index ÷ (RPP ÷ 100) — pay against local cost | GeoFrame formula | computed |
| Population & density | U.S. Census population estimates + land area | Census | observed |
| Occupation pay by metro | BLS OEWS occupational medians (metro; state fallback where metro is suppressed) | OEWS 2024 | observed |
| Cost-of-labor rank | Rank of the metro cost-of-labor index across all areas | OEWS 2024 | computed |