New York City has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of New York City without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of New York City: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
$250,001 median income · $1,369,018 median home price
Ho-Ho-Kus is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the New York City area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Ho-Ho-Kus.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $250,001 a year, which is the 9th highest in the New York City region. And only 1.7% are out of work. Homes average more than $1,369,018 each.
$250,001 median income · $2,377,695 median home price
Munsey Park is the second best ‘burb we looked at near New York City for 2026.
It ranks 9th for incomes in the area and only 0.0% of residents lack insurance, good for 2nd best.
$240,853 median income · $1,110,500 median home price
Here in Little Silver, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the New York City metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Little Silver.
$250,001 median income · $2,367,031 median home price
Flower Hill ranks as the 4th best suburb of New York City for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Flower Hill and the schools are some of the best around.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$232,629 median income · $1,269,853 median home price
Coming in as the fifth best is Westfield.
Westfield gets kudos for having the 36th most expensive homes in the New York City area, where houses sell for an average of $1,269,853. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
$214,750 median income · $1,374,902 median home price
East Williston is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 1.7%.
According to online reports, East Williston is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the New York City area, meaning you need to get in soon.
$250,001 median income · $1,483,127 median home price
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Fair Haven.
Fair Haven schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 21.5 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
$136,389 median income · $1,268,767 median home price
Port Washington North is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 0.6% of people lack insurance, good for 10th in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$241,500 median income · $1,310,369 median home price
Is ‘Everything Better In Chatham?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
$250,001 median income · $2,157,586 median home price
Located in
Westchester County, New York
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Scarsdale.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
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
New York statewide median: 6.4%
New York statewide median: 14.0%
On the map
Where the best New York City suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best suburbs around New York City for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around New York City was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of New York City.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 201 suburbs to evaluate around New York City.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 201 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near New York City.” We’re lookin’ at you, Ho-Ho-Kus.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best New York City suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
The full plate
Table: Best New York City Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ho-Ho-Kus | 31.93 | 4,270 | $250,001 | $1,369,018 |
| 2 | Munsey Park | 37.93 | 2,778 | $250,001 | $2,377,695 |
| 3 | Little Silver | 40.93 | 6,105 | $240,853 | $1,110,500 |
| 4 | Flower Hill | 43.93 | 4,803 | $250,001 | $2,367,031 |
| 5 | Westfield | 44.21 | 31,111 | $232,629 | $1,269,853 |
| 6 | East Williston | 44.43 | 2,611 | $214,750 | $1,374,902 |
| 7 | Fair Haven | 45.57 | 6,170 | $250,001 | $1,483,127 |
| 8 | Port Washington North | 45.93 | 3,149 | $136,389 | $1,268,767 |
| 9 | Chatham | 46.00 | 9,407 | $241,500 | $1,310,369 |
| 10 | Scarsdale | 46.14 | 18,010 | $250,001 | $2,157,586 |
| 11 | Bronxville | 46.86 | 6,510 | $215,815 | $1,450,321 |
| 12 | North Hills | 47.57 | 5,415 | $173,315 | $1,472,340 |
| 13 | Fanwood | 47.79 | 7,799 | $195,529 | $791,728 |
| 14 | Essex Fells | 49.50 | 2,361 | $250,001 | $1,438,414 |
| 15 | Glen Ridge | 49.86 | 7,943 | $250,001 | $1,125,697 |
| 16 | Oradell | 50.64 | 8,235 | $221,322 | $975,412 |
| 17 | Rumson | 51.21 | 7,241 | $250,001 | $2,183,827 |
| 18 | Pelham Manor | 51.64 | 5,644 | $250,001 | $1,309,985 |
| 19 | Ridgewood | 52.71 | 26,308 | $208,211 | $1,200,489 |
| 20 | Irvington | 53.00 | 6,531 | $173,248 | $1,222,448 |
| 21 | Sands Point | 53.07 | 2,722 | $250,001 | $3,232,903 |
| 22 | Floral Park | 53.36 | 16,169 | $150,084 | $858,496 |
| 23 | East Hills | 53.43 | 7,257 | $250,001 | $1,751,159 |
| 24 | Pelham | 53.86 | 7,305 | $184,375 | $1,360,404 |
| 25 | Kings Point | 54.43 | 5,634 | $211,299 | $2,373,621 |
| 26 | Franklin Lakes | 54.64 | 11,084 | $235,795 | $1,557,852 |
| 27 | Old Brookville | 55.64 | 2,107 | $250,001 | $2,396,388 |
| 28 | Upper Brookville | 55.93 | 2,004 | $250,001 | $2,642,036 |
| 29 | Haworth | 57.79 | 3,363 | $236,765 | $1,191,256 |
| 30 | Hastings-on-Hudson | 57.93 | 8,434 | $193,621 | $1,036,677 |
| 31 | Larchmont | 59.64 | 6,567 | $167,536 | $1,661,377 |
| 32 | Norwood | 59.71 | 5,724 | $178,311 | $898,894 |
| 33 | Demarest | 60.57 | 4,911 | $208,036 | $1,462,793 |
| 34 | Old Tappan | 60.86 | 6,008 | $205,385 | $1,224,145 |
| 35 | Rye | 61.43 | 16,428 | $239,815 | $2,180,592 |
| 36 | Hillsdale | 62.29 | 10,144 | $186,688 | $843,788 |
| 37 | Glen Rock | 62.57 | 12,154 | $215,096 | $1,056,914 |
| 38 | Old Westbury | 62.79 | 4,241 | $250,001 | $2,918,405 |
| 39 | Massapequa Park | 63.43 | 16,963 | $171,953 | $792,452 |
| 40 | Waldwick | 64.00 | 10,164 | $177,962 | $738,299 |
| 41 | Park Ridge | 64.21 | 9,406 | $171,029 | $845,038 |
| 42 | Hoboken | 64.29 | 58,668 | $180,579 | $855,399 |
| 43 | Great Neck Estates | 64.71 | 3,023 | $237,788 | $1,963,479 |
| 44 | Monmouth Beach | 64.79 | 3,207 | $150,188 | $1,107,170 |
| 45 | Sea Cliff | 65.57 | 5,033 | $193,590 | $1,099,757 |
| 46 | Lawrence | 67.00 | 6,778 | $170,000 | $2,123,230 |
| 47 | Bayville | 67.29 | 6,744 | $149,191 | $841,959 |
| 48 | East Rockaway | 67.50 | 10,077 | $124,929 | $735,012 |
| 49 | New Providence | 67.93 | 13,727 | $161,599 | $990,084 |
| 50 | Malverne | 68.00 | 8,477 | $149,489 | $801,814 |
| 51 | Long Beach | 68.71 | 34,756 | $140,739 | $805,359 |
| 52 | Ardsley | 69.50 | 4,998 | $243,000 | $999,658 |
| 53 | Shrewsbury | 70.57 | 4,179 | $178,958 | $942,549 |
| 54 | Mountainside | 71.07 | 7,049 | $211,538 | $1,043,568 |
| 55 | River Edge | 71.43 | 12,091 | $159,028 | $839,655 |
| 56 | Piermont | 72.21 | 2,514 | $140,450 | $813,807 |
| 57 | Cresskill | 72.43 | 9,174 | $170,376 | $1,000,899 |
| 58 | Rockville Centre | 72.57 | 25,765 | $151,938 | $965,150 |
| 59 | Harrington Park | 72.93 | 4,954 | $180,500 | $967,522 |
| 60 | Roslyn | 72.93 | 2,978 | $116,386 | $1,660,036 |
| 61 | Williston Park | 75.00 | 7,542 | $156,382 | $927,596 |
| 62 | Woodcliff Lake | 75.21 | 6,152 | $213,981 | $1,228,602 |
| 63 | Allendale | 76.21 | 6,865 | $160,162 | $1,073,640 |
| 64 | New Hyde Park | 76.36 | 10,220 | $142,927 | $974,068 |
| 65 | Oyster Bay Cove | 76.36 | 2,075 | $250,001 | $2,303,815 |
| 66 | Roseland | 77.64 | 6,268 | $164,458 | $819,880 |
| 67 | North Caldwell | 77.79 | 6,656 | $208,245 | $1,133,696 |
| 68 | Silver Lake | 78.00 | 2,515 | $139,934 | $359,405 |
| 69 | Tenafly | 78.36 | 15,319 | $208,200 | $1,262,422 |
| 70 | Thomaston | 78.86 | 2,744 | $157,917 | $1,298,841 |
| 71 | Madison | 79.57 | 16,447 | $171,471 | $990,723 |
| 72 | Brookville | 80.14 | 2,941 | $250,001 | $2,396,388 |
| 73 | Upper Saddle River | 80.71 | 8,439 | $250,001 | $1,412,975 |
| 74 | Closter | 80.86 | 8,606 | $190,469 | $1,153,806 |
| 75 | Watchung | 81.00 | 6,485 | $173,672 | $1,060,985 |
| 76 | Metuchen | 81.64 | 15,144 | $158,052 | $683,090 |
| 77 | Rye Brook | 81.86 | 9,900 | $246,944 | $1,236,848 |
| 78 | Mineola | 83.29 | 21,211 | $137,739 | $815,487 |
| 79 | Englewood Cliffs | 83.50 | 5,362 | $230,611 | $1,733,277 |
| 80 | Manorhaven | 83.93 | 6,958 | $105,486 | $823,279 |
| 81 | Lake Success | 84.21 | 2,829 | $244,079 | $1,863,190 |
| 82 | Farmingdale | 84.50 | 8,474 | $122,980 | $717,477 |
| 83 | Valley Stream | 84.64 | 40,315 | $133,190 | $756,941 |
| 84 | Florham Park | 85.07 | 13,564 | $158,696 | $1,025,256 |
| 85 | Atlantic Highlands | 86.29 | 4,410 | $126,080 | $816,439 |
| 86 | Emerson | 86.57 | 7,305 | $155,536 | $780,190 |
| 87 | Ramsey | 86.86 | 14,805 | $160,996 | $863,404 |
| 88 | Great Neck | 90.79 | 11,087 | $137,981 | $1,455,883 |
| 89 | Midland Park | 90.79 | 7,019 | $146,841 | $732,465 |
| 90 | Dumont | 91.07 | 18,279 | $126,071 | $666,365 |
| 91 | Dobbs Ferry | 91.29 | 11,443 | $165,417 | $975,067 |
| 92 | Rutherford | 91.36 | 18,894 | $143,153 | $738,683 |
| 93 | Westbury | 91.50 | 15,808 | $145,185 | $768,992 |
| 94 | Summit | 91.71 | 22,705 | $190,304 | $1,372,011 |
| 95 | Oakland | 92.14 | 12,768 | $162,019 | $750,020 |
| 96 | Wood-Ridge | 93.29 | 10,218 | $136,108 | $709,508 |
| 97 | Saddle River | 93.29 | 3,389 | $212,143 | $2,270,388 |
| 98 | Cedarhurst | 93.93 | 7,320 | $101,572 | $1,206,385 |
| 99 | Montvale | 94.21 | 8,901 | $178,269 | $920,951 |
| 100 | Fair Lawn | 96.86 | 35,610 | $144,574 | $709,175 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 201 suburbs within 30 miles of New York City.
Summary
Summary: Welcome to the Best New York City ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of New York City are Ho-Ho-Kus, Munsey Park, Little Silver, Flower Hill, Westfield, East Williston, Fair Haven, Port Washington North, Chatham, and Scarsdale.
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like New York City but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you. Not sold on New York? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of New York City FAQs
What is the best suburb of New York City?
Ho-Ho-Kus is the best suburb of New York City for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Munsey Park and Little Silver are next.
What are the best suburbs of New York City?
The best suburbs of New York City are Ho-Ho-Kus, Munsey Park, Little Silver, Flower Hill, Westfield, East Williston, Fair Haven, Port Washington North, Chatham, and Scarsdale. We ranked all 201 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Ho-Ho-Kus?
The median household income in Ho-Ho-Kus is $250,001 and the median home costs $1,369,018. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of New York City?
Any place within 30 miles of New York City qualifies. 201 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank New York City suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Ho-Ho-Kus, takes the crown.
