Jefferson County, New York, a core county of the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY market, holds $2.2B in deposits across 8 insured institutions and 29 branches. Watertown Savings Bank is the largest deposit holder at 36.5% share. The top three banks hold 79% of deposits, which places the county in the Concentrated band. Deposits have fallen 4.2% since 2021 while the branch count fell by 9.4%. It produced $6.4B of real gross domestic product in 2024, ranking #502 of the 1,523 ranked counties by economic output.
Ranks show where the county stands among the 1,523 ranked counties (those within a Combined or Metropolitan Statistical Area that have a branch). They describe relative position, not a rating of market quality or suitability.
Deposit trend
Branches: 32 in 2021 to 29 in 2026. Institutions: 10 to 8. Top-three share: 78% to 79%.
Institutions by deposits
| Institution | Deposits | Share | 5‑yr deposits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown Savings Bank | $784M | 36.5% | -4% |
| Community Bank | $673M | 31.3% | +11% |
| Carthage Savings and Loan | $242M | 11.2% | +2% |
| KeyBank | $229M | 10.7% | -28% |
| WSB Municipal Bank | $98M | 4.6% | -32% |
| Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association | $89M | 4.2% | -9% |
| The Upstate National Bank | $18M | 0.8% | +30% |
| GS&L Municipal Bank | $16M | 0.7% | no 2021 presence |
The 8 insured institutions with a branch presence in this county, per the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 30, 2026. Five-year change compares the same institution’s county deposits in 2021 and 2026. Institutions are tracked by FDIC certificate number, and where an institution acquired another bank, the acquired bank’s prior deposits are folded into the baseline so the change reflects the combined, continuing franchise rather than reading as new. “No 2021 presence” means neither the institution nor a bank it later absorbed reported deposits in this county that year. Deposit figures are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation.
Part of the Watertown-Fort Drum market
Jefferson County is the only county in the Watertown-Fort Drum, NY market, a Metropolitan Statistical Area (ranked #251 of 293 U.S. markets by economic output). It produces 100.0% of the market’s output and holds 100.0% of its deposits.
| Measure | Jefferson County | Share of parent market |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GDP | $6.4B | 100.0% |
| Deposits | $2.2B | 100.0% |
| Population | 111,540 | 100.0% |
View the full Watertown-Fort Drum market profile →
Recruiting in Jefferson County
Deposits are held closely by the largest banks, which often means the bankers worth recruiting are inside a small number of institutions. Who holds the deposits, and how contested the market is, shapes both the runway for growth and the competition you would be recruiting against. We recruit commercial relationship managers, banking teams, and market leaders for banks building in markets like Jefferson County.
See how we help banks recruit commercial banking talent