Black River vs Fort Drum
Black River, New York versus Fort Drum, New York: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.
Black River edges out Fort Drum on overall objective livability (47 vs 43 of 100), though each leads on different factors below.
Factor-by-factor comparison
| Factor | Black River | Fort Drum |
|---|---|---|
| Affordability | ||
| Median Household Income | $80k | $57k |
| Cost of Living | $49k | $49k |
| Home Value | $210k | — |
| Monthly Rent | $1k | $1k |
| Monthly Owner Costs | $411 | $127 |
| Property Tax Rate | 1.99% | — |
| Income Tax | 10.90% | 10.90% |
| Sales Tax | 8.53% | 8.53% |
| Estimated total tax burden | 18.92% | — |
| Unemployment | 21.9% | 9.7% |
| Weather | ||
| Winter Temp (Jan) | 20°F | 20°F |
| Summer Temp (Jul) | 69°F | 69°F |
| Annual Precipitation | 45.1 in | 45.1 in |
| Annual Snowfall | 116.4 in | 116.4 in |
| Sunny Days | 187 days | 187 days |
| Summer Humidity | 60°F | 60°F |
| Comfortable Days | 82 days | 82 days |
| Safety & Wellbeing | ||
| Natural Disaster Risk | 9.5 | 9.2 |
| Air Quality | 39 AQI | 39 AQI |
| School Quality | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Violent Crime | 158/100k | 1468/100k |
| Property Crime | 0/100k | 1462/100k |
| Community | ||
| Population | 1,660 | 16,298 |
| Median Age | 38.6 | 22.0 |
| Racial Diversity | 0.22 | 0.49 |
| Male/Female Ratio | 0.97 | 1.46 |
| Political Leaning | R+19 | R+19 |
| White (%) | 86.9% | 57.2% |
| Black (%) | 0.0% | 11.4% |
| Hispanic (%) | 2.0% | 22.2% |
| Asian (%) | 7.0% | 2.6% |
| Other / Multiracial (%) | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| Getting Around | ||
| Walkability | 6.4/20 | 5.1/20 |
| Airport Distance | 112 mi | 115 mi |
| Lifestyle & Connectivity | ||
| Broadband Access | 89.7% | 94.8% |
| Amenities Nearby | 132.53 | 7.98 |
| Park & Nature Access | Excellent | Excellent |
Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Black River or Fort Drum more affordable?
- Fort Drum has the lower cost of living: its index is $49k, compared with Black River's $49k and Fort Drum's $49k. Median rent is $1k in Black River versus $1k in Fort Drum.
- Is Black River or Fort Drum safer?
- Black River has the lower violent crime rate. Black River reports 158/100k and Fort Drum reports 1468/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).