The Town Files

Fort Drum, New York

Community in Jefferson County · population 15,896 (2020 Census)

Map: where Fort Drum is in New YorkFort Drum
Household income
$62,291
Jan low / Jul high
11° / 80°
Snow a year
116 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
1
Median age
23.3

Fort Drum is a community of 15,896 people in Jefferson County, New York. It ranks more of a college town than 97% of New York towns, better for young professionals than 93% of New York towns, hipper than 70% of New York towns.

How Fort Drum ranks

Percentile among New York towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of New York towns.

Fort Drum lifestyle rankings vs other New York townsRetirementbottomFamilies21st pctQuiet1st pctWalkability64th pctFirst-time buyers43rd pctYoung professionals93rd pctVibrancy61st pctHip & trendy70th pctCollege town97th pctUpscale28th pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransitbottomDriving15th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

Median rent is $1,622 a month. 4.0% of households own their home.

Fort Drum vs Jefferson County vs typical New York townFort DrumJefferson CountyTypical New York townHousehold income$62,291$66,301$80,740Monthly rent$1,622$1,213$1,080
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of New York towns with 500+ people.
HousingFort DrumTypical New York town
Median home value—$217,700
Median rent$1,622$1,080
Median household income$62,291$80,740
Home value ÷ income—×2.8×
Homeownership4.0%79.5%
Median year built20041965
Seasonal / vacation homes0.0%—

Who lives in Fort Drum

PeopleFort DrumTypical New York town
Median age23.343.5
Age 65 and over0.1%20.4%
Under 1831.4%—
Bachelor's degree or higher34.8%30.4%
Below the poverty line11.7%9.3%
Veterans21.6%—
Born outside the U.S.8.7%—
Work from home12.7%11.1%
Average commute11.1 min26.0 min
Homes with broadband92.7%91.1%

Weather in Fort Drum

July highs average 79.8°F and January lows 10.7°F. About 44.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 116.4 inches of snow (typical New York town: 62.9 in). Expect about 4 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 144 nights at or below freezing.

Fort Drum monthly temperatures and precipitation10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°32° freezing29°11°Jan31°12°Feb40°22°Mar54°35°Apr67°47°May75°57°Jun80°62°Jul79°61°Aug72°52°Sep59°41°Oct46°31°Nov35°20°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue3.634.02.929.62.813.63.52.73.63.73.53.83.95.00.54.29.13.926.9
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Watertown station (6.5 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Fort Drum since 1950, compared with 5 for the typical New York town. The strongest, an F0, struck on August 5, 2003 about 1.8 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 5, 2003.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Fort Drum by decade01950s01960s01970s01980s01990s12000s02010s02020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 3 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on May 29, 2012.

Severe weather in Jefferson County since 1996

Storm events in Jefferson County since 1996 by typeHail24Flood19Blizzard6High Wind64Heavy Snow63Flash Flood10Frost/Freeze21Winter Storm55
NOAA Storm Events Database, Jefferson County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 3 deaths recorded.

Jefferson County has been included in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for fire, flood, other.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
September 24, 2024Tropical StormDR-4825: Remnants Of Tropical Storm Debby
November 20, 2022Winter StormEM-3589: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
March 20, 2020BiologicalDR-4480: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3434: Covid-19
December 19, 2019Severe StormDR-4472: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding

Jobs and pay in Jefferson County

Jefferson County had 40,308 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,545 a year. Unemployment was 4.4% in 2023; in Fort Drum itself the ACS puts it at 8.7%.

Largest industries in Jefferson CountyHealth care & social assistan…6,712 jobs · $62,819Retail5,675 jobs · $37,065Hotels & restaurants4,049 jobs · $25,397Manufacturing1,758 jobs · $66,346Construction1,708 jobs · $68,764Transportation & warehousing1,483 jobs · $51,968
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in Jefferson County, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023Jefferson 4.4%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Fort Drum

Fort Drum questions

Is Fort Drum, New York a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Fort Drum scores better for retirees than 0% of New York towns and quieter than 1%. 0.1% of residents are 65 or older (median age 23.3).

What is the weather like in Fort Drum?

July highs average 79.8°F and January lows 10.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 44.4 inches of precipitation a year and 116.4 inches of snow.

Does Fort Drum get tornadoes?

1 tornado has passed within 10 miles of Fort Drum since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F0 on August 5, 2003. The typical New York town has had 5.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Fort Drum's Census boundary (GEOID 3626759). Comparisons use the median of New York towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.