| Official Name: | Watson, New York |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | New York#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Watson |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | New York |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lewis |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 299.65 |
| Area Land Km2: | 291.99 |
| Area Water Km2: | 7.67 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 115.70 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 112.74 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 2.96 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Population Total: | 1881 |
| Population Density Km2: | 6.33 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 16.40 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 390 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1280 |
| Coordinates: | 43.8044°N -75.2917°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 13367 |
| Area Code: | 315 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 36-049-78729 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 979607 |
| Pop Est As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Est: | 1849 |
Watson is a town in Lewis County, New York, United States. The population was 1,881 at the 2010 census.[2] The town is named after early landowner James Watson. The town is at the eastern border of the county and is east of Lowville, the county seat.
The area of Watson was first settled circa 1815. The town was formed from the town of Leyden in 1821. Parts of Watson were later taken to form the towns of Greig (1828), Diana (1830), Croghan (1841) and New Bremen (1848).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 115.7sqmi, of which 112.7sqmi are land and 3sqmi, or 2.56%, are water.[3]
The eastern town line is the border of Herkimer County, and the western town line is partly defined by the Black River.
The Beaver River, a tributary of the Black River, flows through the northern part of the town. The eastern section of Watson is inside the Adirondack Park.
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 1,987 people, 772 households, and 562 families residing in the town. The population density was 17.6 people per square mile (6.8/km2). There were 1,652 housing units at an average density of 14.7 per square mile (5.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.49% White, 0.40% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 0.40% Pacific Islander, and 0.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of the population.
There were 772 households, out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,000, and the median income for a family was $38,438. Males had a median income of $28,208 versus $20,913 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,708. About 8.0% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.5% of those under age 18 and 14.2% of those age 65 or over.