NAICS 23

Construction in Watertown-Fort Drum, NY

Metro Market Score 42.6 (Moderate), ranked #124 of 342 metros. 280 establishments, 1,708 jobs.

Metro Market Score 42.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national construction average.

At #124 of 342 metros, Watertown-Fort Drum's construction sector scores 42.6 on the market index. Concentration (24.6), wage levels (33.3), and growth (26.3) all track close to the median. Local factors like lease costs and client access will matter more than macro signals.

Industry Concentration

24.6

LQ: 0.81

Rank #84 of 342 metros

Wage Competitiveness

33.3

$68,764 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 26.3

Employment growth index

Rank #253 of 342 metros

Wage Pressure

30.3

YoY wage change index

280 Construction Firms in Watertown-Fort Drum

280

Establishments

-1.4% YoY

1,708

Total Employment

-0.7% YoY

$68,764

Average Annual Wage

+3.0% YoY

0.81

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within New York

#3 of 12

construction metros in state

New York state rank

#37 of 51

for construction entry risk

vs State Median

-8.8

better than median (51.5)

Watertown-Fort Drum vs New York Statewide

How this metro's construction market compares to New York overall. The state ranks #37/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Watertown-Fort Drum	NY Statewide
Overall Score	42.6 Moderate	51.1 Elevated
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#124 of 342 metros	#37 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Watertown-Fort Drum

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 21.9 Finance and Insurance 33.6 Information 38.7 Other Services 48.6 Healthcare and Social Assistance 50.3 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing 50.5 Administrative and Support Services 53.5 Accommodation and Food Services 67.0 Retail Trade 74.3

Construction in Other New York Metros

Elmira 31.2 #46/342 Ithaca 31.6 #48/342 Utica-Rome 43.9 #136/342 Binghamton 50.0 #191/342 Buffalo-Cheektowaga 51.1 #207/342 Kingston 51.5 #211/342 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh 53.2 #228/342 Glens Falls 54.5 #238/342 Albany-Schenectady-Troy 55.5 #250/342 Syracuse 58.5 #275/342

+ 1 more metros. View all in New York →

Construction Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Watertown-Fort Drum's 42.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Ann Arbor, MI 42.6 #125/342 Port St. Lucie, FL 42.5 #123/342 Killeen-Temple, TX 42.8 #126/342 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL 42.8 #127/342 Greensboro-High Point, NC 43.0 #128/342 Sherman-Denison, TX 43.0 #129/342 Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL 42.3 #122/342 Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA 43.2 #130/342 Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL 43.2 #131/342 Lebanon, PA 43.3 #132/342

Construction in States Bordering New York

State-level entry risk for construction in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Pennsylvania 28.4 #3/51 Vermont 40.0 #21/51 Massachusetts 41.5 #23/51 Connecticut 43.2 #27/51 New Jersey 48.3 #33/51

Browse Construction in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for construction across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Watertown-Fort Drum's construction sector, the employment growth component (73.7) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment