How big is Watkins Glen, New York?

Watkins Glen has a population of approximately 4,527 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a village by Census Place size classification.

Is housing in Watkins Glen affordable?

By the years-to-own measure, housing in Watkins Glen is affordable. The median home value ($236,528) divided by the median household income ($57,137) gives a ratio of 4.1 — meaning the median home costs about 4.1 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.

What is the climate like in Watkins Glen?

Watkins Glen has an annual average temperature of 48.6°F. The coldest month is January (average 22.3°F) and the warmest is July (average 67.6°F). Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv, 1991–2020 climate normals.

Is the climate changing in Watkins Glen?

Watkins Glen is steadily warming at a rate of 3.00°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.

What is the median household income in Watkins Glen?

The median household income in Watkins Glen is $57,137, which ranks at the 27th percentile nationally — higher than 27% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.

How did Watkins Glen vote in the 2024 presidential election?

Watkins Glen is Republican-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 60% Republican and 40% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.

What is the local economy like in Watkins Glen?

Watkins Glen's economy is diverse across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,093. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 34% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.

What county is Watkins Glen in?

Watkins Glen is in Schuyler County, NY. Schuyler County has a total population of 39,537 with a years-to-own ratio of 3.4.

Where is Watkins Glen located?

Watkins Glen is located in New York, in the Finger Lakes region. The Finger Lakes region has a population of approximately 767,791.

How old is the population in Watkins Glen?

The median resident in Watkins Glen is 47.2 years old, which is older than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Watkins Glen, New York — Commerce Institute

55 years

The slow remaking of a schuyler

Per-capita personal income from 1969 to 2024, drawn from BEA County Income data.

Per-capita personal income

BEA Personal Income · Schuyler County

Income up 17.0× in 55 years. Schuyler County per-capita personal income rose from $3,272 in 1969 to $55,595 in 2024.

Time machine

Watkins Glen in 2024 is what Austin, NV was in 2016.

Across our 8 dimensions, Watkins Glen's 2024 profile most closely matches Austin, NV's 2016 profile. Similarity score 0.97.

The setting

The lay of the land

Topography

Elevation

1,417 ft

Mid-elevation Northeast/Midwest range.

126 years of weather, in one panel

What weather looks like here

Annual averages back to 1900 (NOAA NCEI nClimDiv), severe weather counts since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events Database).

1900–2025 — every year's average temperature

Each stripe is one year. Blue = cooler, red = warmer. The trend is the story. Dashed line marks 1970, when the modern warming era began. 126 years of NOAA nClimDiv records.

Long-run shift

+1.9°F

1900–1929 avg → 2000s+ avg

Warmest year

2024 · 49.5°F

Coldest year

1917 · 42.5°F

By the numbers

Annual avg temp

48.6°F

↗ +1.3°F since 1900

Hottest month

67.6°F

July average

Coldest month

22.3°F

January average

Annual precip

37.3″

Above US avg (30″)

Heating degree days

6,415

cold heating bills

Cooling degree days

458

light AC use

Severe weather, 1950–2024

Counted events from NOAA Storm Events Database

Tornadoes

≈ 1 every 15 years

Hail

75-yr record

Flash floods

75-yr record

Lightning

≈ 1 every 25 years

Within driving distance

In Watkins Glen's orbit

Nearby places — neighbors, the closest county seat, the closest college town. Click through to compare.

Ithaca

NY · pop

West Elmira

NY · pop

Horseheads North

NY · pop

South Corning

NY · pop

Elmira

NY · pop

Southport

NY · pop

Penn Yan

NY · pop

Bath

NY · pop

Against every other US town

What stands out

Where Watkins Glen ranks among 32,000+ US Census places. Each dot is this place; the gray band is the national distribution; the red tick is the national median.

Industry mix

Local establishment count by NAICS sector · Census County Business Patterns · 2014–2022

Food & lodging32%

Retail24%

Manufacturing14%

Healthcare11%

Construction10%

Professional7%

Agriculture2%

What's notable about Watkins Glen

Top quartile nationally for industry diversity (rank 88)

If you like Watkins Glen

Towns that feel familiar

Across our 768-dimensional embedding of demographics, climate, and economy, these are the places most like Watkins Glen.

#1 · 1.0

Ovid

NY · pop

HHI$59k

Jan temp24°F

#2 · 1.0

Burdett

NY · pop

HHI$84k

Jan temp22°F

#3 · 1.0

Romulus

NY · pop

HHI$78k

#4 · 1.0

Clyde

NY · pop

HHI$67k

Frequently asked

Common questions about Watkins Glen

Each answer is computed from the data on this page. Citation sources linked in each answer.

How big is Watkins Glen, New York?: Watkins Glen has a population of approximately 4,527 residents according to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023). It is a village by Census Place size classification.
Is housing in Watkins Glen affordable?: By the years-to-own measure, housing in Watkins Glen is affordable. The median home value ($236,528) divided by the median household income ($57,137) gives a ratio of 4.1 — meaning the median home costs about 4.1 years of pre-tax household income. (Lower is more affordable; the U.S. median is ~4.) Methodology: /methodology/years-to-own/.
What is the climate like in Watkins Glen?: Watkins Glen has an annual average temperature of 48.6°F. The coldest month is January (average 22.3°F) and the warmest is July (average 67.6°F). Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv, 1991–2020 climate normals.
Is the climate changing in Watkins Glen?: Watkins Glen is steadily warming at a rate of 3.00°F per century, measured as the linear regression slope of annual mean temperature on year since 1970. Source: NOAA NCEI nClimDiv. Methodology: /methodology/warming-velocity/.
What is the median household income in Watkins Glen?: The median household income in Watkins Glen is $57,137, which ranks at the 27th percentile nationally — higher than 27% of U.S. Census places. Source: U.S. Census American Community Survey 5-year 2019–2023.
How did Watkins Glen vote in the 2024 presidential election?: Watkins Glen is Republican-leaning. In the 2024 presidential election, the underlying county recorded 60% Republican and 40% Democratic. Source: MIT Election Lab.
What is the local economy like in Watkins Glen?: Watkins Glen's economy is diverse across major industry sectors, with a Herfindahl–Hirschman Index of 2,093. The single largest NAICS sector accounts for 34% of local establishments. Source: U.S. Census County Business Patterns. Methodology: /methodology/industry-hhi/.
What county is Watkins Glen in?: Watkins Glen is in Schuyler County, NY. Schuyler County has a total population of 39,537 with a years-to-own ratio of 3.4.
Where is Watkins Glen located?: Watkins Glen is located in New York, in the Finger Lakes region. The Finger Lakes region has a population of approximately 767,791.
How old is the population in Watkins Glen?: The median resident in Watkins Glen is 47.2 years old, which is older than the U.S. median of about 38.9. Source: U.S. Census ACS.

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.

Commerce Institute builds profiles from public-domain federal datasets only — no surveys, no proprietary scoring, no opaque indexes. Every metric on this page is queryable; every methodology is published.

U.S. Census ACS — demographics, housing, education, 2014–2023
BEA Personal Income — per-capita income, 1969–2024
BLS QCEW — wages by NAICS sector, 1990–2024
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv — climate, 1901–2024
NOAA Storm Events — severe weather, 1950–2024
Zillow ZHVI — home values, 2000–2025
FHFA HPI — housing index, 1975–2025
IRS SOI Migration — net flows + AGI, 1991–2022
MIT Election Lab — presidential, 2008–2024
Census CBP — business establishments by NAICS, 2014–2022
USGS Elevation — place elevation
OpenStreetMap — retail brand presence, F&B amenities
+ 23 more sources — covering health, schools, banking, agriculture, mobility, civic life

Rendered 2026-05-12. See methodology for every metric definition.

Watkins Glen,
New York.

14891

Schuyler County, NY

Finger Lakes

New York

The slow remaking of a schuyler

The lay of the land

What weather looks like here

In Watkins Glen's orbit

What stands out

What's notable about Watkins Glen

Towns that feel familiar

Common questions about Watkins Glen

Every number on this page comes from a federal data source.