There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in New York that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Empire State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within New York’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like East Aurora, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of New York according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of East Aurora. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in New York as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
50.4 median age · 41.0% married households · #6 oldest in New York
Located in
Erie County, New York
East Aurora is a village in Erie County, New York, United States, southeast of Buffalo. It lies in the eastern half of the town of Aurora. The village population was 6,236 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2015, East Aurora was rated the third-best town to raise a family in New York State by Niche.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
45.5 median age · 39.0% married households · #19 oldest in New York
Fairport is a village located in the Town of Perinton, which is part of Monroe County, New York. Fairport is a suburb 9 miles east of Rochester. It is also known as the “Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal”. In 2005 it was named as one of the “Best Places to Live” by Money Magazine. The population of the Village of Fairport is 5,353 as of the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
61.3 median age · 40.0% married households · #1 oldest in New York
Located in
Nassau County, New York
North Hills is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,075 at the 2010 census.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.7 median age · 33.0% married households · #10 oldest in New York
Located in
Westchester County, New York
Briarcliff Manor is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, around 30 miles north of New York City. It is on 5.9 square miles of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor includes the communities of Scarborough and Chilmark, and is served by the Scarborough station of the Metro-North Railroad’s Hudson Line. A section of the village, including buildings and homes covering 376 acres, is part of the Scarborough Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The village motto is “A Village between Two Rivers”, reflecting Briarcliff Manor’s location between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers. Although the Pocantico is the primary boundary between Mount Pleasant and Ossining, since its incorporation the village has spread into Mount Pleasant.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
47.0 median age · 37.0% married households · #11 oldest in New York
Located in
Madison County, New York
Oneida is a city in Madison County located west of Oneida Castle and east of Canastota, New York, United States. The population was 11,390 at the 2010 census. The city, like both Oneida County and the nearby silver and china maker, was named for the Oneida tribe, which had a large territory here around Oneida Lake during the colonial period.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
51.9 median age · 48.0% married households · #3 oldest in New York
Located in
Nassau County, New York
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
42.5 median age · 29.0% married households · #48 oldest in New York
Located in
St. Lawrence County, New York
Ogdensburg is a city in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 11,128 at the 2010 census. In the late 18th century, European-American settlers named the community after American land owner and developer Samuel Ogden.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
46.8 median age · 27.0% married households · #13 oldest in New York
Located in
Orange County, New York
Goshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 13,687 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Land of Goshen.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
43.4 median age · 32.0% married households · #38 oldest in New York
Located in
Franklin County, New York
Malone is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 14,545 at the 2010 census. The town contains a village also named Malone, which is the county seat. The town is an interior town located in the north-central part of the county.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
49.6 median age · 34.0% married households · #8 oldest in New York
Located in
Steuben County, New York
Bath is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The Town of Bath has an area of 96.3 sq mi and a population of 12,097. Its largest settlement is the Village of Bath, which has an area of 2.9 sq mi and a population of 5,641. The Town is located in the central part of the county, northwest of Elmira, New York. The Town are either named after the city in England or after Lady Bath, daughter of a landowner.
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.
On the map
Where the quiet settles in New York
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Empire State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in New York. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. Some of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every New York city with at least 5,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2026, and it’s our eleventh time ranking the most boring cities in New York.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In New York For 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Boring Score | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Aurora | 28.30 | 5,993 | 50.4 | 41.0% | 27.9% |
| 2 | Fairport | 31.70 | 5,403 | 45.5 | 39.0% | 34.5% |
| 3 | North Hills | 33.10 | 5,415 | 61.3 | 40.0% | 22.0% |
| 4 | Briarcliff Manor | 33.70 | 7,519 | 47.7 | 33.0% | 36.8% |
| 5 | Oneida | 38.70 | 10,171 | 47.0 | 37.0% | 23.4% |
| 6 | Bayville | 43.20 | 6,744 | 51.9 | 48.0% | 26.3% |
| 7 | Ogdensburg | 43.70 | 9,455 | 42.5 | 29.0% | 31.2% |
| 8 | Goshen | 44.60 | 5,773 | 46.8 | 27.0% | 29.5% |
| 9 | Malone | 44.80 | 5,429 | 43.4 | 32.0% | 26.0% |
| 10 | Bath | 46.20 | 5,560 | 49.6 | 34.0% | 18.3% |
| 11 | Northport | 46.30 | 7,322 | 51.6 | 38.0% | 21.7% |
| 12 | Croton-on-Hudson | 46.30 | 8,202 | 46.3 | 29.0% | 34.0% |
| 13 | Baldwinsville | 46.50 | 7,715 | 46.8 | 38.0% | 18.2% |
| 14 | Irvington | 47.90 | 6,531 | 44.1 | 30.0% | 40.7% |
| 15 | Herkimer | 49.70 | 7,566 | 45.4 | 39.0% | 24.1% |
| 16 | Warwick | 50.50 | 6,585 | 51.4 | 33.0% | 21.8% |
| 17 | Hudson Falls | 50.80 | 7,395 | 46.2 | 34.0% | 26.2% |
| 18 | North Tonawanda | 50.90 | 30,198 | 43.1 | 39.0% | 22.4% |
| 19 | Babylon | 51.20 | 12,185 | 45.5 | 43.0% | 27.3% |
| 20 | Washingtonville | 51.60 | 5,707 | 41.2 | 36.0% | 31.6% |
| 21 | Malverne | 52.00 | 8,477 | 45.3 | 45.0% | 28.8% |
| 22 | Williamsville | 52.10 | 5,469 | 49.2 | 34.0% | 22.8% |
| 23 | Ballston Spa | 52.30 | 5,027 | 42.7 | 38.0% | 27.8% |
| 24 | Johnstown | 52.40 | 8,111 | 44.0 | 30.0% | 28.2% |
| 25 | Hamburg | 52.50 | 9,792 | 44.3 | 41.0% | 23.9% |
| 26 | East Hills | 53.10 | 7,257 | 40.7 | 53.0% | 47.7% |
| 27 | Lancaster | 53.10 | 10,113 | 45.1 | 40.0% | 22.5% |
| 28 | Depew | 53.10 | 15,000 | 43.4 | 38.0% | 21.6% |
| 29 | Massapequa Park | 53.30 | 16,963 | 43.9 | 53.0% | 29.5% |
| 30 | Rye Brook | 54.10 | 9,900 | 42.9 | 31.0% | 43.4% |
| 31 | Medina | 55.20 | 5,770 | 39.2 | 32.0% | 29.3% |
| 32 | Horseheads | 55.30 | 6,449 | 44.6 | 31.0% | 21.2% |
| 33 | Newark | 55.90 | 8,991 | 41.1 | 36.0% | 24.0% |
| 34 | Rome | 57.80 | 31,795 | 40.7 | 30.0% | 25.5% |
| 35 | Farmingdale | 58.50 | 8,474 | 43.5 | 38.0% | 26.9% |
| 36 | Hastings-on-Hudson | 58.80 | 8,434 | 46.3 | 30.0% | 30.9% |
| 37 | Saratoga Springs | 59.30 | 28,631 | 42.4 | 29.0% | 21.1% |
| 38 | Beacon | 60.80 | 14,834 | 42.0 | 24.0% | 29.3% |
| 39 | Massena | 61.00 | 10,238 | 42.6 | 28.0% | 22.8% |
| 40 | Port Jefferson | 61.60 | 8,091 | 45.0 | 28.0% | 22.6% |
| 41 | Rockville Centre | 62.00 | 25,765 | 42.9 | 44.0% | 35.4% |
| 42 | Dunkirk | 62.60 | 12,549 | 43.7 | 25.0% | 28.7% |
| 43 | Amityville | 63.10 | 9,588 | 52.1 | 33.0% | 16.6% |
| 44 | Rye | 63.50 | 16,428 | 42.5 | 25.0% | 46.1% |
| 45 | Pelham Manor | 63.70 | 5,644 | 42.4 | 34.0% | 42.0% |
| 46 | Colonie | 63.80 | 7,702 | 43.4 | 29.0% | 24.8% |
| 47 | Scarsdale | 63.90 | 18,010 | 41.5 | 28.0% | 55.9% |
| 48 | Norwich | 64.60 | 6,782 | 42.3 | 29.0% | 25.4% |
| 49 | Lynbrook | 65.50 | 20,325 | 42.3 | 36.0% | 34.6% |
| 50 | Ilion | 65.90 | 7,593 | 44.9 | 37.0% | 17.2% |
| 51 | Floral Park | 66.10 | 16,169 | 43.5 | 38.0% | 35.5% |
| 52 | Westbury | 66.80 | 15,808 | 44.5 | 25.0% | 35.2% |
| 53 | Sea Cliff | 67.30 | 5,033 | 40.5 | 39.0% | 37.6% |
| 54 | Canandaigua | 67.60 | 10,514 | 45.5 | 27.0% | 18.1% |
| 55 | Hornell | 68.40 | 8,152 | 40.8 | 32.0% | 25.3% |
| 56 | Batavia | 69.10 | 15,097 | 42.9 | 30.0% | 18.2% |
| 57 | Mount Kisco | 69.40 | 10,737 | 40.9 | 26.0% | 29.1% |
| 58 | Chestnut Ridge | 70.00 | 10,557 | 26.9 | 34.0% | 47.4% |
| 59 | Webster | 70.90 | 5,718 | 38.4 | 29.0% | 21.0% |
| 60 | Glen Cove | 70.90 | 28,112 | 44.0 | 23.0% | 24.9% |
| 61 | Scotia | 71.10 | 7,264 | 39.1 | 33.0% | 31.8% |
| 62 | Auburn | 71.60 | 26,285 | 41.1 | 27.0% | 25.3% |
| 63 | New Hyde Park | 71.80 | 10,220 | 43.2 | 27.0% | 32.8% |
| 64 | Harrison | 71.90 | 29,961 | 37.2 | 28.0% | 43.2% |
| 65 | Salamanca | 72.20 | 5,846 | 38.8 | 25.0% | 33.5% |
| 66 | East Rockaway | 72.40 | 10,077 | 41.5 | 38.0% | 31.5% |
| 67 | Wesley Hills | 72.50 | 6,196 | 34.0 | 30.0% | 44.6% |
| 68 | Airmont | 73.10 | 10,205 | 24.3 | 36.0% | 48.6% |
| 69 | Lake Grove | 73.70 | 11,061 | 40.1 | 32.0% | 31.9% |
| 70 | Olean | 74.20 | 13,738 | 39.0 | 26.0% | 29.4% |
| 71 | Mineola | 74.60 | 21,211 | 41.6 | 28.0% | 28.2% |
| 72 | Lawrence | 75.00 | 6,778 | 34.9 | 32.0% | 36.7% |
| 73 | Lockport | 75.30 | 20,610 | 36.8 | 31.0% | 28.6% |
| 74 | Albion | 76.00 | 5,506 | 41.4 | 23.0% | 23.9% |
| 75 | North Syracuse | 76.40 | 6,693 | 39.6 | 29.0% | 22.0% |
| 76 | Hilton | 77.70 | 5,968 | 35.4 | 38.0% | 38.0% |
| 77 | Long Beach | 77.80 | 34,756 | 43.5 | 32.0% | 19.5% |
| 78 | Williston Park | 78.10 | 7,542 | 40.5 | 36.0% | 37.3% |
| 79 | Solvay | 78.30 | 6,544 | 38.9 | 29.0% | 27.1% |
| 80 | Dobbs Ferry | 78.50 | 11,443 | 41.5 | 21.0% | 39.9% |
| 81 | Walden | 79.00 | 6,868 | 37.0 | 32.0% | 33.1% |
| 82 | Wappingers Falls | 79.60 | 5,761 | 49.8 | 22.0% | 21.4% |
| 83 | New Hempstead | 79.90 | 5,472 | 32.0 | 28.0% | 41.5% |
| 84 | Lindenhurst | 80.60 | 27,142 | 38.1 | 36.0% | 33.0% |
| 85 | Liberty | 81.30 | 5,142 | 34.2 | 20.0% | 54.0% |
| 86 | Hudson | 81.60 | 5,865 | 41.2 | 16.0% | 20.5% |
| 87 | Oswego | 82.20 | 17,033 | 35.7 | 31.0% | 28.0% |
| 88 | Niagara Falls | 83.30 | 47,987 | 40.8 | 26.0% | 25.3% |
| 89 | Larchmont | 83.50 | 6,567 | 38.7 | 29.0% | 31.4% |
| 90 | East Rochester | 83.80 | 6,218 | 40.1 | 33.0% | 17.9% |
| 91 | White Plains | 84.60 | 60,666 | 41.5 | 20.0% | 25.7% |
| 92 | Sleepy Hollow | 85.10 | 10,887 | 41.9 | 11.0% | 35.8% |
| 93 | Great Neck Plaza | 85.40 | 7,593 | 46.8 | 19.0% | 22.2% |
| 94 | Patchogue | 85.90 | 12,396 | 39.5 | 28.0% | 20.0% |
| 95 | Amsterdam | 85.90 | 18,166 | 39.5 | 27.0% | 24.4% |
| 96 | Rensselaer | 86.00 | 9,287 | 36.7 | 29.0% | 20.6% |
| 97 | Gloversville | 86.30 | 14,962 | 38.0 | 29.0% | 25.5% |
| 98 | Pleasantville | 87.20 | 7,371 | 38.7 | 26.0% | 36.0% |
| 99 | Kingston | 87.90 | 23,911 | 37.2 | 21.0% | 27.8% |
| 100 | Valley Stream | 88.40 | 40,315 | 40.9 | 18.0% | 37.2% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 162 cities with more than 5,000 residents.
Summary
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since New York isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
The most boring cities in New York are East Aurora, Fairport, North Hills, Briarcliff Manor, Oneida, Bayville, Ogdensburg, Goshen, Malone, and Bath.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in New York, according to science.
