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You've seen these lists before: Best places to live in New York, Most Beautiful Downtowns, etc., etc. But all of them focus on major cities and towns in the Empire State and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that's all about to change as we put together a list of the best small towns in New York based on numbers--not opinions or hearsay.
We'll dive right into our methodology in the next section; but first, we thought you might just want to know which places in New York ranked the based--you know, based on science.
Before we get to the top 15, here's a look at the 10 Best Small Towns To Live in New York for 2022.
The 10 Best Small Towns To Live In New York For 2022
What's the best small town in New York? East Williston is the best small town in New York based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like East Williston, chances are, you're not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you--keep reading and we'll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Empire State check out:
- Best Places To Live In New York
- Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- Most Dangerous Places In New York
The 15 Best Small Towns In New York For 2022
/10
Population: 2,552
Median Income: $183,500 (23rd Best)
Median Home Value: $880,500 (34th Best)
More on East Williston: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Population: 1,092
Median Income: $181,750 (24th Best)
Median Home Value: $677,700 (53rd Best)
More on Poquott: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,385
Median Income: $250,001 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,530,700 (12th Best)
More on Roslyn Estates: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,396
Median Income: $101,875 (115th Best)
Median Home Value: $428,500 (109th Best)
More on Skaneateles: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
Population: 1,001
Median Income: $171,875 (29th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,159,700 (25th Best)
More on Russell Gardens: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,483
Median Income: $142,396 (51st Best)
Median Home Value: $639,700 (66th Best)
More on Halesite: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,484
Median Income: $165,391 (36th Best)
Median Home Value: $611,800 (70th Best)
More on Thornwood: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,211
Median Income: $119,430 (76th Best)
Median Home Value: $367,100 (122nd Best)
More on Clarence Center: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,341
Median Income: $147,566 (47th Best)
Median Home Value: $771,100 (44th Best)
More on Atlantic Beach: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,541
Median Income: $127,667 (66th Best)
Median Home Value: $566,800 (76th Best)
More on Piermont: Photos | Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 1,407
Median Income: $152,337 (42nd Best)
Median Home Value: $434,900 (106th Best)
More on Lincolndale: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 4,883
Median Income: $234,702 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $1,607,500 (10th Best)
More on Flower Hill: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,157
Median Income: $122,611 (73rd Best)
Median Home Value: $461,700 (98th Best)
More on South Hempstead: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 3,575
Median Income: $142,813 (50th Best)
Median Home Value: $542,000 (82nd Best)
More on Bardonia: Data | Homes For Sale
/10
Population: 2,913
Median Income: $162,143 (37th Best)
Median Home Value: $646,400 (64th Best)
More on East Norwich: Data | Homes For Sale
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In New York
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent data from the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which, there were a lot - 453 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 453, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in New York. Top of that list -- East Williston. You can download the data here.
Keep reading to find out more about our top 15 best small towns in New York.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once and we'll say it again -- this list: it's just science. We did the research, we crunched the numbers, and it turns out, these 15 small towns in New York are the best, in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
If you're curious, here are the worst small towns in New York:
- Whitehall
- Wolcott
- Yorkshire
For more New York reading, check out:
- Best Places To Raise A Family In New York
- Safest Places In New York According To Science
- Worst Places To Live In New York State