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 2021.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In New York For 2021
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 2021
1. Saratoga County
Biggest Place: Saratoga Springs
Population: 228,502
Median Income: $84,291 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $258,300.0 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (2nd best)
More on Saratoga County: Photos | Data
2. Putnam County
Biggest Place: Mahopac
Population: 98,787
Median Income: $104,486 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $358,500.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6% (19th best)
More on Putnam County: Photos | Data
3. Nassau County
Biggest Place: Hempstead
Population: 1,356,509
Median Income: $116,100 (best)
Median Home Price: $493,500.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (7th best)
More on Nassau County: Photos | Data
4. Ontario County
Biggest Place: Geneva
Population: 109,511
Median Income: $64,944 (16th best)
Median Home Price: $161,800.0 (24th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (best)
More on Ontario County: Photos | Data
5. Warren County
Biggest Place: Glens Falls
Population: 64,276
Median Income: $61,024 (2best)
Median Home Price: $196,500.0 (18th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.0% (10th best)
More on Warren County: Photos | Data
6. Albany County
Biggest Place: Albany
Population: 306,968
Median Income: $66,252 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $222,500.0 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (17th best)
More on Albany County: Photos | Data
7. Suffolk County
Biggest Place: Brentwood
Population: 1,483,832
Median Income: $101,031 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $397,400.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (13th best)
More on Suffolk County: Photos | Data
8. Rensselaer County
Biggest Place: Troy
Population: 159,185
Median Income: $68,991 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $188,700.0 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (23rd best)
More on Rensselaer County: Photos | Data
9. Tompkins County
Biggest Place: Ithaca
Population: 102,642
Median Income: $60,240 (23rd best)
Median Home Price: $204,600.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (6th best)
More on Tompkins County: Photos | Data
10. Dutchess County
Biggest Place: Poughkeepsie
Population: 293,754
Median Income: $81,219 (9th best)
Median Home Price: $282,000.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (30th best)
More on Dutchess County: Photos | Data
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.
There You Have It – 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:
- Franklin County
- Oswego County
- Orleans County
For more New York reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In New York
- Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- Richest Cities In New York
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New York
