The Safest and Most Dangerous Places in Jefferson County, NY
Jefferson County is home to 115,000 residents and includes Watertown and Carthage · Updated November 2026
Is Jefferson County, NY safe?
Yes. Crime is low across most of the US, and lower still in Jefferson County: an overall CrimeGrade™ of A+, safer than the neighborhoods where 78% of Americans live. Violent and property crime both grade A+ here. What matters most is the neighborhood: grades within Jefferson County run from A+ to C-, so check the map or the safest and least safe places below.
A+
Overall CrimeGrade™
Safety score 930 of 1,000Safer than most US neighborhoodsi What this means
78% of Americans live in neighborhoods with more crime than Jefferson County as a whole, and 22% in neighborhoods with less. The typical US neighborhood has a safety score of 838, a CrimeGrade™ of A-. Jefferson County scores 930.
Crime is concentrated in a small share of places, so most neighborhoods score high on the 0 to 1,000 scale. That is why a score in the 800s can still mean more crime than most US neighborhoods.
How to read the map: each area's color compares its crime with the people, homes and cars there, on one national scale, from green for the least crime to red for the most. Each area gets its own color, so a busy shopping center can show red while the homes beside it stay green. The interactive maps load faster on a strong connection. Compare high speed internet in Jefferson County, NY at ISP Reports.
Who this page is for: homeowners and renters in Jefferson County, and anyone thinking about buying or renting a home there.
Business and enterprise customers: this free map shows neighborhood areas. CrimeGrade™ business reports map crime at about 66-meter detail and estimate it for one address and type of business. See business reports
What stands out in Jefferson County
Car thefts are uncommon. Jefferson County has car thefts at a small fraction of the US rate: 0.33 a year per 1,000 residents, against 2.7 nationally.
One weak spot: simple assault. It grades A- in Jefferson County, worse than in the neighborhoods where 52% of Americans live, against A+ for violent crime as a whole.
The safest and most dangerous places in Jefferson County
Low crime is the norm across Jefferson County: 92% of residents live in areas graded A or B, and the rest in areas graded C. Grades across Jefferson County run from A+ to C-; 79% of residents live in areas with less crime than the typical US neighborhood.
92%
A or B 92%C 8%
Share of residents, by the overall CrimeGrade™ of the area they live in.
Cities and towns in Jefferson County with at least 1,000 residents. Ranked by overall CrimeGrade™; beside each grade is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer), and the other numbers are residents.
Across the county, the Theresa area has the least crime and the Watertown area the most.
Is crime going up in Jefferson County?
Reported crime in Jefferson County has fallen since 2019: violent crime is down 33% and property crime down 34%. Murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults went from about 2.2 to 1.5 a year per 1,000 residents (US: 3.7); burglaries, thefts and vehicle thefts from about 15 to 9.9 (US: 18). In 2024 alone, violent crime fell 13% and property crime fell 36%.
Violent crime, change since 2019
Property crime, change since 2019
Jefferson CountyUnited States
Source: crime reports to the FBI from the police departments across Jefferson County. The charts follow crimes per resident.
Data table
Year
Violent, Jefferson County
Violent, US
Property, Jefferson County
Property, US
2016
+12%
+4%
+25%
+15%
2017
-6%
+4%
+20%
+12%
2018
+3%
+0%
+5%
+4%
2019
+0%
+0%
+0%
+0%
2020
+11%
+4%
+3%
-8%
2021
-44%
+6%
-33%
-10%
2022
+1%
+5%
+2%
-6%
2023
-23%
+2%
+4%
-7%
2024
-33%
-4%
-34%
-15%
Crime rates and types in Jefferson County
CrimeGrade™ estimates Jefferson County has about 28 reported crimes a year for every 1,000 residents, 24% less than the US as a whole and 29% less than New York.
Overall crime
Violent crime
Property crime
Reported crimes a year, per 1,000 residents. These figures include simple assaults and vandalism, which the FBI's violent and property crime rates leave out.
The largest share of crime reported in Jefferson County is assault, about 42% of the total. It also makes up the largest share of what crime costs here.
Each CrimeGrade™ compares a crime with what it affects: people for assaults and robbery, homes for burglary, parked cars for vehicle theft. Rates count crimes per 1,000 residents.
Select a crime's name to see its map above. CrimeGrade™ business reports map each crime at about 66-meter detail.
Where and when crime happens in Jefferson County
These figures come from the reports of the police departments across Jefferson County, 2022 to 2024.
In Jefferson County, 10% of burglaries hit homes, against 57% nationally. Thefts from cars happen most often at other places: 99% of them, against 7% nationally.
Crime
Most often at
Busiest time
Burglary
Other places (85%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Car theft
Other places (83%)
Afternoon (noon to 6 pm)
Theft from cars
Other places (99%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Vandalism
Other places (87%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Aggravated assault
Other places (88%)
Evening (6 pm to midnight)
Shares of the crimes reported to police, 2022 to 2024. Reports with no time recorded are left out of the times.
How Jefferson County compares with nearby counties
Of the 10 counties closest to Jefferson County, 7 have less crime. Hamilton County and Lewis County have the least.
Nearest first, with each place's distance from Jefferson County. Beside each overall CrimeGrade™ is its safety score, from 0 to 1,000 (higher is safer).
Compared with counties of similar size and density, Jefferson County is safer than 73% of them.
Two things set Jefferson County apart: it has 30 jobs for every 100 residents, against 45 for the US as a whole, and 9.9% of its homes standing empty, against 7.1% nationally. Places with few jobs tend to report less theft and robbery, and they run low here.
JobsJobs draw daytime crowds. Places with many jobs tend to report more theft and robbery.30 for every 100 residentsUS: 45Lower than for 87% of Americans
Transit serviceBuses and trains an hour at the evening rush. Places with busy transit tend to report more theft and robbery. BestNeighborhood's Transit Grade for Jefferson County: F (1 of 100).NoneUS: noneLower than for 86% of Americans
Walk GradeBestNeighborhood's grade for getting through daily life on foot, traced along real walking routes to shops, schools and parks. Walkable places tend to report more theft. 87% of residents here live in car-dependent areas.D- (12 of 100)US: 21Lower than for 74% of Americans
Show all 6
Stores and restaurantsShops and restaurants draw crowds and parked cars. Places with many stores tend to report more theft.12.1 per 1,000 residentsUS: 10.5Higher than for 86% of Americans
Empty homesSeasonal and vacation homes are left out. Places with many empty homes tend to report more burglary and arson.9.9% of homesUS: 7.1%Higher than for 86% of Americans
Lit at nightSatellite images show which neighborhoods are lit at night, a sign of busy streets and businesses. Brightly lit places tend to report more theft and vandalism.49% where people liveUS: 78%Lower than for 84% of Americans
These traits tend to go with more or less crime; none of them causes it on its own. Sources: Census job counts and housing figures, OpenStreetMap and Overture business listings, CrimeGrade™ parking estimates, NASA night-light imagery, US Forest Service tree cover, EPA transit data and BestNeighborhood's Walk Grade.
What crime costs Jefferson County
Counting police, courts and prisons as well as victims' losses, crime costs Jefferson County about $654 a year per household, 46% less than the US figure of $1,205. The total is about $30 million a year.
Cost of crime per resident, per year
Counting the pain and suffering of victims, which comes almost entirely from violent crime, the full cost rises to about $74 million a year, or $642 per resident.
How the cost breaks down
Crime
Cost a year
Per resident
Murder
$2.0 million
$18
Rape
$3.2 million
$28
Robbery
$620,000
$5
Assault
$13 million
$109
Burglary
$1.1 million
$10
Theft
$5.5 million
$48
Vehicle theft
$570,000
$5
Arson
$180,000
$2
Vandalism
$4.0 million
$34
Total
$30 million
$259
How CrimeGrade™ works
A CrimeGrade™ shows how much crime an area has compared with the rest of the country, from A+ for the least crime to F for the most. Every neighborhood in the US is graded on the same scale, so a B in Jefferson County means the same as a B anywhere else.
CrimeGrade™ starts from the crimes people report to police and measures each kind of crime against what it affects: people for assaults, homes for burglaries, parked cars for car thefts.
The rates on this page count crimes for every 1,000 people who live here, the way police departments report them.
Comparisons with US neighborhoods use the Census Bureau's block groups, small areas of about 1,400 residents, and count the people who live in each. The figures count crimes reported to police; many crimes, shoplifting above all, never are. Behind the grades, CrimeGrade™ tested 21,607 factors from 125 data families. For business owners, paid CrimeGrade™ location reports estimate crime at a single address for each type of business.
Where the numbers come from
Crime reports that police departments file with the FBI
State crime records and city crime data, where they are published
Published research on what crime costs victims and communities
These are estimates of reported crime for whole areas, not a record of what happened on any one street. CrimeGrade™ updates them once a year and provides them free and without guarantee. Check local sources before you rely on them for a decision.
Schools in Jefferson County, NY average a SchoolGrade of C: 54% of students test proficient, against 59% projected for schools like them. Overall, they underperform expectations. See schools in Jefferson County on SchoolGrade
