The 10 Best Cities For Singles In New York For 2021


We used science and data to determine which cities in New York have the best set up for singles: no kids, no old people, and a lot to do.

HomeSnacks is reader-supported. When you click through real estate links on our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2021. This is our seventh time ranking the best cities for singles in New York.

Swipe left for slideshow. Article continues below.

Are you trying to find love in New York?

Or are you just looking to hook up?

Either way, we've got you covered here. At least, we'll point you in the right direction - which is why you came here in the first place, right?

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who have remained single (not married) is growing. That means, people are dating a lot longer than they used to.

There are many reasons for that, including financial and cultural. And, we suspect smartphones and social media has a lot to do with it, too. After all, we're all a lot more distracted these days.

If you live in New York, there's a pretty good chance there are a lot of singles in your area. The Empire State ranks in the top 10 when it comes to number of people over the age of 18 who aren't married, or in a serious relationship. That's great news for people looking for their match.

So, where are the best cities for singles in New York? We've got the answers here.

The 10 Best Cities For Singles In New York For 2021

  1. Ithaca
  2. Schenectady
  3. Rochester
  4. Poughkeepsie
  5. New York
  6. Troy
  7. Haverstraw
  8. Spring Valley
  9. Newburgh
  10. Watervliet

So, what was the best city for singles in New York? Ithaca ranks as the best place for singles in New York if you care about things singles care about like night life, affordable housing, and other singles.

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how each city ranked. If you live in or really close to one of these cities, and you're single, you should probably get out more often. And stop staring at your phone. Just sayin'.

The most boring place in New York? That would be Scarsdale.

And after you find a mate, you'll no doubt want to start a family and buy a home right? Don't forget to check out the best places to live in New York or the safest places to live in New York.

For more New York reading, check out:

The 10 Best Cities For Singles In New York For 2021

Ithaca, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 30,569
Median Age: 21.9
Married households: 5.0%
Households with kids: 13.6%
More on Ithaca: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Schenectady, NY

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 65,334
Median Age: 36.2
Married households: 17.0%
Households with kids: 22.2%
More on Schenectady: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Rochester, NY

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 206,848
Median Age: 32.0
Married households: 12.0%
Households with kids: 27.7%
More on Rochester: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Poughkeepsie, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 30,381
Median Age: 37.8
Married households: 16.0%
Households with kids: 26.8%
More on Poughkeepsie: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

New York, NY

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 8,419,316
Median Age: 36.7
Married households: 11.0%
Households with kids: 28.8%
More on New York: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Troy, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 49,458
Median Age: 30.8
Married households: 19.0%
Households with kids: 25.9%
More on Troy: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Haverstraw, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,065
Median Age: 35.2
Married households: 12.0%
Households with kids: 41.9%
More on Haverstraw: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Spring Valley, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 32,295
Median Age: 29.1
Married households: 13.0%
Households with kids: 44.4%
More on Spring Valley: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Newburgh, NY

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 28,255
Median Age: 30.7
Married households: 13.0%
Households with kids: 38.9%
More on Newburgh: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

Watervliet, NY

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,050
Median Age: 39.6
Married households: 23.0%
Households with kids: 19.7%
More on Watervliet: PhotosHomes For Sale | Data

How do you determine which city is best for singles in New York anyways?

To give you the places in New York which are best for singles to find one another, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what single people like.

So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.

How we crunched the numbers for the Empire State

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the 2015-2019 American Community Survey Census data produced for the state of New York, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:

  • Population density
  • % of population that's male vs. female (closer to a 50-50 ratio is better)
  • % of households with kids
  • Median age
  • Number of unmarried people in each city

We then gave each city a Singles Score.

The higher the score, the better the city is for singles to find one another. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 10,000 people. For New York, that meant a total of 85 cities. You can download the data here.

Read on to see why Ithaca is the talk of the town while Scarsdale is probably a bit on the boring side.

There You Have It - The Best Cities for Singles in New York for 2021

If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in New York ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for finding a single person (and potentially love), this is an accurate list.

Here's a look at the most boring cities in New York according to the data:

  1. Scarsdale
  2. Ogdensburg
  3. Oneida

For more New York reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Cities For Singles In New York

Rank City Population Median Age
1 Ithaca, NY 30,569 21.9
2 Schenectady, NY 65,334 36.2
3 Rochester, NY 206,848 32.0
4 Poughkeepsie, NY 30,381 37.8
5 New York, NY 8,419,316 36.7
6 Troy, NY 49,458 30.8
7 Haverstraw, NY 12,065 35.2
8 Spring Valley, NY 32,295 29.1
9 Newburgh, NY 28,255 30.7
10 Watervliet, NY 10,050 39.6
11 Albany, NY 97,478 30.9
12 Syracuse, NY 142,874 31.2
13 Buffalo, NY 256,480 33.1
14 Binghamton, NY 45,140 35.8
15 West Haverstraw, NY 10,250 36.1
16 Utica, NY 60,320 34.0
17 Oneonta, NY 13,893 22.4
18 White Plains, NY 58,137 40.0
19 Plattsburgh, NY 19,465 29.2
20 Great Neck, NY 10,205 35.7
21 Watertown, NY 25,622 32.1
22 Hempstead, NY 55,300 33.9
23 Geneva, NY 12,787 29.5
24 Yonkers, NY 199,968 39.0
25 Mineola, NY 19,186 41.8
26 Cortland, NY 18,739 27.5
27 Fredonia, NY 10,464 27.4
28 Port Chester, NY 29,342 37.0
29 Patchogue, NY 12,384 37.5
30 Mount Vernon, NY 67,896 40.1
31 Middletown, NY 27,963 35.6
32 Ossining, NY 25,086 39.5
33 Oswego, NY 17,470 35.0
34 Elmira, NY 27,402 34.1
35 Kingston, NY 23,070 37.2
36 Dunkirk, NY 11,865 39.7
37 New Rochelle, NY 79,067 39.7
38 Freeport, NY 43,078 38.6
39 Westbury, NY 15,342 41.1
40 Long Beach, NY 33,507 44.9
41 Auburn, NY 26,601 39.0
42 Batavia, NY 14,578 39.9
43 Glens Falls, NY 14,340 38.0
44 Olean, NY 13,670 41.0
45 Sleepy Hollow, NY 10,122 36.8
46 Peekskill, NY 24,075 38.7
47 Mamaroneck, NY 19,217 41.6
48 Lockport, NY 20,490 38.2
49 Saratoga Springs, NY 27,943 40.3
50 Valley Stream, NY 37,577 41.2
51 Kiryas Joel, NY 24,571 13.8
52 Endicott, NY 12,771 38.3
53 Cohoes, NY 16,684 37.5
54 Jamestown, NY 29,504 37.7
55 Floral Park, NY 16,003 42.7
56 Lackawanna, NY 17,831 37.7
57 Corning, NY 10,696 37.7
58 Lindenhurst, NY 26,979 42.2
59 Dobbs Ferry, NY 11,070 38.6
60 Kenmore, NY 15,132 42.6
61 North Tonawanda, NY 30,487 45.6
62 Rome, NY 32,253 39.1
63 Glen Cove, NY 27,232 40.6
64 Babylon, NY 12,056 41.3
65 Niagara Falls, NY 48,252 38.1
66 Beacon, NY 13,634 40.5
67 Amsterdam, NY 17,836 36.9
68 Lancaster, NY 10,144 41.1
69 Gloversville, NY 14,878 41.6
70 Lake Grove, NY 11,100 40.9
71 Lynbrook, NY 19,524 43.5
72 Depew, NY 15,102 40.6
73 Mount Kisco, NY 10,866 41.0
74 Mastic Beach, NY 12,610 39.4
75 Massapequa Park, NY 17,193 43.9
76 Suffern, NY 10,943 44.0
77 Harrison, NY 28,135 36.2
78 Canandaigua, NY 10,287 44.1
79 Fulton, NY 11,300 39.1
80 Rockville Centre, NY 24,492 43.4
81 Rye, NY 15,820 43.0
82 Massena, NY 10,091 40.5
83 Oneida, NY 10,948 41.8
84 Ogdensburg, NY 10,635 41.6
85 Scarsdale, NY 17,837 43.1

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.