New York is a pretty big deal. The Empire State has the Big Apple, it’s the foruth most populous state in America, and it has some pretty larger than life places for families. And HomeSnacks has done every parent and guardian a solid and created a list of the top ten best place for families in New York for 2026 and listed them below.
We are family people here at HomeSnacks and we have all had to move our families a time or two, so we know what’s important when it comes time to make moves that are going to affect the family dynamic. And those factors include things like: is a place safe? Are there other households with kiddos? Are the schools in said place top notch? And, is the place located close to a large city so that your family can take advantage of cultural and social experiences?
Parents and guardians looking to move to New York, you’ll be happy to know that the state is currently of the safest states in the country; and if you can get your hands on one of the best places to raise a family in this state, know that you’re going to sleep well because they are some of the state’s safest. New York also holds close to 400 blue ribbon schools and places on this list like Elmira are the example to follow.
And if you want to know what places on our list are located close to New York’s biggest cities and what places have the most kiddos? You’re going to have to keep reading.
$239,815 median income · 46.1% households with kids
Located in
Westchester County, New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until it received its charter as a city in 1942. The population was 15,720 at the 2010 census. Rye is the youngest city in New York state. No other city has been chartered anywhere in New York state since 1942.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$107,859 median income · 29.3% households with kids
Located in
Dutchess County, New York
Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2010 census placed the city total population at 15,541. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York-Newark-Bridgeport, New York-New Jersey-Connecticut-Pennsylvania Combined Statistical Area. It was named to commemorate the historic beacon fires that blazed forth from the summit of the Fishkill Mountains to alert the Continental Army about British troop movements.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$170,127 median income · 42.5% households with kids
Port Washington is a hamlet and census-designated place in Nassau County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the community population was 15,846.
$92,064 median income · 24.9% households with kids
Located in
Nassau County, New York
Glen Cove is a city in Nassau County, New York, United States, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 26,964.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$64,929 median income · 18.1% households with kids
Located in
Ontario County, New York
Canandaigua is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are located at the county complex in the adjacent town of Hopewell.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$140,739 median income · 19.5% households with kids
Located in
Nassau County, New York
Long Beach is a city in Nassau County, New York, United States. Just south of Long Island, it is located on Long Beach Barrier Island, which is the westernmost of the outer barrier islands off Long Island’s South Shore. As of the United States 2010 Census, the city population was 33,275. It was incorporated in 1922, and is nicknamed The City By the Sea.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$79,435 median income · 19.7% households with kids
Located in
Seneca County, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. It is located at the northern end of Seneca Lake; all land portions of the city are within Ontario County; the water portions are in Seneca County. The population was 13,261 at the 2010 census. The city is supposedly named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. The main settlement of the Seneca was spelled Zoneshio by early white settlers, and was described as being 2 miles north of Seneca Lake.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$109,167 median income · 27.7% households with kids
Located in
Westchester County, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$61,760 median income · 20.7% households with kids
Located in
Steuben County, New York
Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 11,183 at the 2010 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company that developed the community. The city is best known as the headquarters of Fortune 500 company Corning Incorporated, formerly Corning Glass Works, a manufacturer of glass and ceramic products for industrial, scientific and technical uses.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$60,741 median income · 26.9% households with kids
Located in
Dutchess County, New York
Poughkeepsie, officially the City of Poughkeepsie, is a city in the state of New York, United States, which is the county seat of Dutchess County. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 32,736. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson Valley midway between New York City and Albany, and is part of the New York metropolitan area. The name derives from a word in the Wappinger language, roughly U-puku-ipi-sing, meaning “the reed-covered lodge by the little-water place,” referring to a spring or stream feeding into the Hudson River south of the present downtown area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is New York’s statewide median.
New York statewide median: $85,974
New York statewide median: $507,794
On the map
Where New York’s most family-friendly cities are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which place is best for families in New York anyways?
To give you the places in New York that are best for families, we must look at a handful of metrics. We want to measure the criteria people want in a family-friendly city utilizing Saturday Night Science.
After researching U.S. Census data produced for the state of New York, we looked at the data for every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries, and colleges)
We then gave each city a “Family Score.”
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with over 10,000 people. For New York, that meant a total of 45 cities.
We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best cities for families in New York.
The full plate
Best Places For Families In New York
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price | % Households w/ Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rye | 16,428 | $239,815 | $2,180,592 | 46.1% |
| 2 | Beacon | 14,834 | $107,859 | $538,601 | 29.3% |
| 3 | Port Washington | 18,004 | $170,127 | $1,253,634 | 42.5% |
| 4 | Glen Cove | 28,112 | $92,064 | $810,612 | 24.9% |
| 5 | Canandaigua | 10,514 | $64,929 | $274,506 | 18.1% |
| 6 | Long Beach | 34,756 | $140,739 | $805,359 | 19.5% |
| 7 | Geneva | 12,512 | $79,435 | $218,802 | 19.7% |
| 8 | New Rochelle | 82,769 | $109,167 | $917,531 | 27.7% |
| 9 | Corning | 10,643 | $61,760 | $189,794 | 20.7% |
| 10 | Poughkeepsie | 31,958 | $60,741 | $339,927 | 26.9% |
| 11 | Peekskill | 25,625 | $85,954 | $500,840 | 21.9% |
| 12 | White Plains | 60,666 | $110,763 | $770,309 | 25.7% |
| 13 | Yonkers | 209,978 | $83,549 | $680,218 | 29.0% |
| 14 | Kingston | 23,911 | $68,186 | $378,030 | 27.8% |
| 15 | Saratoga Springs | 28,631 | $105,944 | $633,902 | 21.1% |
| 16 | Glens Falls | 14,609 | $67,788 | $264,460 | 23.6% |
| 17 | Olean | 13,738 | $51,261 | $103,164 | 29.4% |
| 18 | Cortland | 17,450 | $59,482 | $197,781 | 25.1% |
| 19 | Middletown | 30,289 | $79,346 | $402,620 | 39.3% |
| 20 | North Tonawanda | 30,198 | $66,961 | $273,946 | 22.4% |
| 21 | Dunkirk | 12,549 | $53,299 | $128,151 | 28.7% |
| 22 | Batavia | 15,097 | $59,446 | $197,340 | 18.2% |
| 23 | Elmira | 26,257 | $43,120 | $122,491 | 28.3% |
| 24 | Troy | 51,033 | $58,477 | $286,799 | 22.1% |
| 25 | Albany | 100,492 | $61,986 | $320,506 | 17.4% |
| 26 | Newburgh | 28,519 | $56,960 | $392,141 | 36.7% |
| 27 | Auburn | 26,285 | $51,052 | $214,996 | 25.3% |
| 28 | Ithaca | 32,814 | $48,784 | $410,621 | 11.5% |
| 29 | Mount Vernon | 72,427 | $78,779 | $568,431 | 27.9% |
| 30 | Lackawanna | 19,753 | $52,110 | $168,586 | 26.8% |
| 31 | New York | 8,483,844 | $80,483 | $812,861 | 26.1% |
| 32 | Schenectady | 68,847 | $58,399 | $318,449 | 23.8% |
| 33 | Oneida | 10,171 | $61,597 | $209,146 | 23.4% |
| 34 | Cohoes | 18,159 | $61,145 | $330,326 | 22.7% |
| 35 | Jamestown | 28,188 | $43,523 | $117,914 | 26.1% |
| 36 | Buffalo | 276,854 | $50,041 | $238,089 | 25.9% |
| 37 | Gloversville | 14,962 | $51,556 | $170,948 | 25.5% |
| 38 | Watertown | 24,375 | $51,753 | $195,771 | 24.5% |
| 39 | Rochester | 208,772 | $47,213 | $235,784 | 24.2% |
| 40 | Niagara Falls | 47,987 | $49,101 | $166,405 | 25.3% |
| 41 | Utica | 64,217 | $52,484 | $202,754 | 30.3% |
| 42 | Syracuse | 146,384 | $47,819 | $210,251 | 22.8% |
| 43 | Rome | 31,795 | $59,925 | $202,147 | 25.5% |
| 44 | Watervliet | 10,287 | $57,919 | $308,697 | 22.2% |
| 45 | Binghamton | 47,151 | $45,578 | $181,130 | 20.7% |
Source: U.S. Census data via Saturday Night Science. 45 New York cities with more than 10,000 residents.
Summary
Summary: The Best Places To Raise A Family In New York
If you’re looking for a breakdown of cities in New York ranked by criteria that most agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
The best places for families in New York are Rye, Beacon, Port Washington, Glen Cove, Canandaigua, Long Beach, Geneva, New Rochelle, Corning, and Poughkeepsie. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Places For Families In New York FAQs
What is the best place to raise a family in New York?
Rye is the best place to raise a family in New York for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Beacon and Port Washington round out the top three.
What are the best places for families in New York?
The best New York places to raise a family are Rye, Beacon, Port Washington, Glen Cove, Canandaigua, Long Beach, Geneva, New Rochelle, Corning, and Poughkeepsie. We ranked all 45 cities with more than 10,000 residents.
How do you rank family-friendly cities?
Family-friendliness blends low crime, good schools, proximity to a major city, the share of households with kids, and nearby amenities. The city that balances all of it best in New York is Rye.
Is Rye affordable for families?
The median home in Rye costs $2,180,592 against a median household income of $239,815. Statewide, the median home runs $507,794, so check the gap before you pack the minivan.
What is the toughest place to raise a family in New York?
Binghamton lands at the bottom of the family ranking for New York. Families make it work everywhere, but the crime, school, and income numbers stack against it there.
