The 10 Best Counties To Live In New York For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in New York have the most for people looking to make the move to New York.

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Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment: is New York a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best places to live in New York.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Empire State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been helping people find the best places to live in America for years.

So, the question becomes, if you wanted to relocate to the best part of New York, where would you go? To answer that we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 62 counties in the state.

After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Empire State for 2022.

Saratoga County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in New York. And you might want to avoid Franklin County if you can — at least according to the data.

So if you’re thinking of making the move New York, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in New York and the cheapest places to live in New York.

The Best Counties To Live In New York For 2022

1. Saratoga County

Ballston Spa, NY

Biggest Place: Saratoga Springs

Population: 229,313
Median Income: $85,224.0 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $266,000.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.2% (2nd best)
More on Saratoga County: PhotosData

2. Nassau County

East Rockaway, NY

Biggest Place: Hempstead

Population: 1,355,683
Median Income: $120,036.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $524,400.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (14th best)
More on Nassau County: PhotosData

3. Putnam County

Brewster, NY

Biggest Place: Mahopac

Population: 98,714
Median Income: $107,246.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $366,400.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (19th best)
More on Putnam County: PhotosData

4. Ontario County

Canandaigua, NY

Biggest Place: Geneva

Population: 109,774
Median Income: $64,795.0 (17th best)
Median Home Price: $163,100.0 (24th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (3rd best)
More on Ontario County: PhotosData

5. Warren County

Glens Falls, NY

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Glens Falls

Population: 64,187
Median Income: $64,658.0 (18th best)
Median Home Price: $208,600.0 (18th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (12th best)
More on Warren County: PhotosData

6. Genesee County

Batavia, NY

Biggest Place: Batavia

Population: 57,554
Median Income: $60,635.0 (26th best)
Median Home Price: $125,200.0 (44th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (9th best)
More on Genesee County: PhotosData

7. Albany County

Albany, NY

Biggest Place: Albany

Population: 306,165
Median Income: $68,327.0 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $230,300.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (20th best)
More on Albany County: PhotosData

8. Suffolk County

Amityville, NY

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Brentwood

Population: 1,481,364
Median Income: $105,362.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $413,900.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (18th best)
More on Suffolk County: PhotosData

9. Rensselaer County

Hoosick Falls, NY

Biggest Place: Troy

Population: 159,013
Median Income: $72,510.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $197,100.0 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (29th best)
More on Rensselaer County: PhotosData

10. Madison County

Canastota, NY

Biggest Place: Oneida

Population: 70,990
Median Income: $61,176.0 (25th best)
Median Home Price: $140,000.0 (35th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (8th best)
More on Madison County: PhotosData

Methodology: How do you determine which New York county is the best?

To give you the best county in New York, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in New York across each of the criteria from one to 62, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In New York”.

The result is some of the safest, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Empire State.

Read on to see why Saratoga County is the best county, while Franklin County is probably in contention for being the worst county in New York.

Summary: The Best Counties In New York To Call Home For 2018

It turns out living in New York can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in New York according to the data:

  1. Franklin County
  2. St. Lawrence County
  3. Orleans County

For more New York reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In New York

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Saratoga County 1 229,313 $85,224.0 $266,000.0
Nassau County 2 1,355,683 $120,036.0 $524,400.0
Putnam County 3 98,714 $107,246.0 $366,400.0
Ontario County 4 109,774 $64,795.0 $163,100.0
Warren County 5 64,187 $64,658.0 $208,600.0
Genesee County 6 57,554 $60,635.0 $125,200.0
Albany County 7 306,165 $68,327.0 $230,300.0
Suffolk County 8 1,481,364 $105,362.0 $413,900.0
Rensselaer County 9 159,013 $72,510.0 $197,100.0
Madison County 10 70,990 $61,176.0 $140,000.0
Livingston County 11 63,218 $60,248.0 $134,000.0
Dutchess County 12 293,524 $81,842.0 $290,700.0
Richmond County 13 475,596 $85,381.0 $546,100.0
Tompkins County 14 102,237 $61,361.0 $218,700.0
Orange County 15 382,077 $80,816.0 $278,400.0
Columbia County 16 60,016 $68,750.0 $236,500.0
Westchester County 17 968,738 $99,489.0 $544,100.0
Tioga County 18 48,431 $61,965.0 $119,800.0
Essex County 19 37,281 $58,109.0 $160,400.0
Ulster County 20 178,371 $65,306.0 $239,400.0
Erie County 21 918,873 $59,464.0 $160,700.0
Monroe County 22 743,084 $62,087.0 $152,000.0
Wayne County 23 90,103 $62,003.0 $130,000.0
Niagara County 24 210,145 $57,252.0 $131,600.0
Schenectady County 25 155,086 $66,488.0 $172,500.0
Greene County 26 47,335 $56,681.0 $185,600.0
Onondaga County 27 461,591 $62,668.0 $148,100.0
Wyoming County 28 40,027 $58,746.0 $118,800.0
Rockland County 29 325,213 $94,840.0 $452,500.0
Oneida County 30 229,074 $59,113.0 $133,100.0
Hamilton County 31 4,454 $60,625.0 $170,500.0
Cortland County 32 47,618 $59,194.0 $126,700.0
Clinton County 33 80,320 $59,510.0 $139,600.0
New York County 34 1,629,153 $89,812.0 $1,024,500.0
Herkimer County 35 61,738 $58,438.0 $106,600.0
Schoharie County 36 31,189 $58,926.0 $142,600.0
Washington County 37 61,304 $59,613.0 $151,500.0
Fulton County 38 53,452 $51,663.0 $120,100.0
Cayuga County 39 76,958 $57,985.0 $131,700.0
Otsego County 40 59,593 $56,171.0 $150,700.0
Queens County 41 2,270,976 $72,028.0 $575,600.0
Steuben County 42 95,843 $55,349.0 $104,200.0
Chemung County 43 84,115 $54,883.0 $108,900.0
Jefferson County 44 111,454 $54,726.0 $150,100.0
Lewis County 45 26,456 $56,192.0 $122,800.0
Chenango County 46 47,527 $51,756.0 $102,300.0
Schuyler County 47 17,845 $53,291.0 $127,000.0
Chautauqua County 48 127,584 $48,315.0 $92,900.0
Broome County 49 192,042 $52,237.0 $120,200.0
Yates County 50 24,981 $55,307.0 $142,300.0
Delaware County 51 44,676 $49,945.0 $144,000.0
Sullivan County 52 75,329 $60,433.0 $175,900.0
Seneca County 53 34,295 $54,865.0 $107,500.0
Cattaraugus County 54 76,750 $50,700.0 $90,200.0
Montgomery County 55 49,294 $50,146.0 $110,700.0
Kings County 56 2,576,771 $63,973.0 $734,800.0
Bronx County 57 1,427,056 $41,895.0 $427,900.0
Oswego County 58 117,630 $59,070.0 $109,500.0
Allegany County 59 46,304 $51,227.0 $78,400.0
Orleans County 60 40,624 $52,958.0 $101,400.0
St. Lawrence County 61 108,352 $52,071.0 $97,000.0
Franklin County 62 50,389 $52,905.0 $110,600.0
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in New York.

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.