County rankings
Best and Worst Counties in New York, Ranked by Public Data
Which counties stand out in New York, and which places come with the biggest tradeoffs? This article uses generated public-data scores to compare counties across affordability, economy, schools, safety, taxes, and peace & quiet.
Key takeaways
- Best overall county: Saratoga County leads the current New York ranking with an overall score of 69.9.
- Most affordable county: Allegany County has the strongest affordability score in this state ranking.
- Strongest schools county: Nassau County posts the strongest schools score in the current model.
- Safest county: Herkimer County ranks highest on the Safety score among New York counties.
- Biggest common tradeoff: Counties that scored lower in our model most often lost ground in taxes.
What the rankings show
New York's highest-scoring counties tend to combine strong schools, safety, and economy scores, but many lose points on affordability and taxes. Several upstate counties perform better on affordability and peace & quiet, while downstate counties often score higher on schools and income.
The tables below are useful starting points, but the more helpful pattern is the tradeoff profile: a county can score well overall while still being expensive, tax-heavy, less quiet, or weaker in one category that matters to your household.
New York county score snapshot
The chart shows the top overall counties in this public-data model. The cards underneath show how different priorities can produce different winners.
Best county for families
Saratoga County
Family score 77.2
Best value county
Allegany County
Value score 60.3
Most affordable county
Allegany County
Affordability 83.7
Best schools county
Nassau County
Schools 97
Safest county
Herkimer County
Safety 100
Lowest taxes county
Kings County
Taxes 42.4
Best peace & quiet county
Clinton County
Peace & Quiet 88.2
Best overall counties in New York
These are the highest-scoring counties in the state based on the current overall public-data score.
| Rank | County | Overall | Schools | Safety | Afford. | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saratoga County FIPS 36091 | 69.9 | 93.6 | 94.6 | 42.1 | $454,235 |
| 2 | Putnam County FIPS 36079 | 66.9 | 92.8 | 97 | 44.7 | $554,659 |
| 3 | Genesee County FIPS 36037 | 65.7 | 71.8 | 84.7 | 74.6 | $217,952 |
| 4 | Madison County FIPS 36053 | 64.1 | 68 | 96.6 | 67.5 | $248,276 |
| 5 | Wyoming County FIPS 36121 | 63.5 | 55.5 | 93.7 | 77 | $198,511 |
| 6 | Lewis County FIPS 36049 | 63.3 | 56.2 | 93.7 | 73 | $189,418 |
| 7 | Ontario County FIPS 36069 | 63.2 | 69.8 | 86.7 | 57.9 | $312,677 |
| 8 | Hamilton County FIPS 36041 | 63 | 78.6 | 98.3 | 55.6 | $260,924 |
| 9 | Livingston County FIPS 36051 | 62.4 | 60.2 | 91.4 | 70.3 | $237,471 |
| 10 | Steuben County FIPS 36101 | 62.2 | 50.8 | 98.9 | 79.3 | $164,947 |
Counties with the biggest tradeoffs in New York
These are the lowest-scoring counties in the current model. Lower scores usually reflect tradeoffs in cost, safety, schools, taxes, local economy, or peace & quiet factors.
| Rank | County | Overall | Schools | Safety | Afford. | Typical home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bronx County FIPS 36005 | 17.1 | 10.9 | 35 | 12.7 | $497,543 |
| 2 | Kings County FIPS 36047 | 36.1 | 58.6 | 39.8 | 9.9 | $946,395 |
| 3 | Ulster County FIPS 36111 | 37.1 | 30.5 | 11.4 | 35 | $431,544 |
| 4 | New York County FIPS 36061 | 41.6 | 77.1 | 36.5 | 8.8 | $1,203,663 |
| 5 | Schenectady County FIPS 36093 | 42.8 | 33.1 | 29.2 | 56.2 | $300,238 |
| 6 | Erie County FIPS 36029 | 43.4 | 58.1 | 15.3 | 55.2 | $287,781 |
| 7 | Queens County FIPS 36081 | 44.5 | 83.2 | 52.3 | 10.2 | $737,653 |
| 8 | Jefferson County FIPS 36045 | 44.9 | 34.5 | 37.9 | 58.4 | $220,944 |
| 9 | Sullivan County FIPS 36105 | 45.3 | 11.8 | 95.2 | 41.3 | $312,275 |
| 10 | Orange County FIPS 36071 | 46.4 | 52.4 | 44.6 | 38.9 | $456,106 |
Best counties for families
Families usually do not just want the cheapest county. This view balances schools, safety, affordability, taxes, economy, and peace and quiet.
#1
Saratoga County
Family score
77.2
Schools
93.6
Safety
94.6
Taxes
26.9
#2
Hamilton County
Family score
75.2
Schools
78.6
Safety
98.3
Taxes
36.7
#3
Putnam County
Family score
75.1
Schools
92.8
Safety
97
Taxes
0
#4
Genesee County
Family score
72.9
Schools
71.8
Safety
84.7
Taxes
0
#5
Madison County
Family score
72.7
Schools
68
Safety
96.6
Taxes
0
#6
Wyoming County
Family score
69.8
Schools
55.5
Safety
93.7
Taxes
0.8
#7
Steuben County
Family score
69.5
Schools
50.8
Safety
98.9
Taxes
1.6
#8
Ontario County
Family score
69.4
Schools
69.8
Safety
86.7
Taxes
5.3
#9
Lewis County
Family score
69.4
Schools
56.2
Safety
93.7
Taxes
15.8
#10
Livingston County
Family score
69.3
Schools
60.2
Safety
91.4
Taxes
0
Best value counties in New York
Value blends affordability, taxes, safety, economy, and peace and quiet. It is not simply the cheapest county.
Best affordability / low-cost tradeoff
These counties rank highest on the affordability score, which can reflect home-price and income tradeoffs.
Best schools
These counties lead the current school score within this state.
Best peace & quiet
These counties score best on lower-density, quieter-living, and built-environment signals.
What the rankings suggest
New York's highest-scoring counties average 64.4 overall and tend to stand out most in safety. The counties with the biggest tradeoffs average 39.9 overall, with the most common pressure point showing up in taxes. Use the state ranking page to compare the full list before drawing conclusions about any one county.
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New York rankings
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Read next
Use this article as a quick overview, then dig into the interactive tools to compare your own shortlist. You can scan the map, search the national rankings, compare two counties side by side, or open the full New York ranking page.
New York state rankings
Open the full state ranking page for New York.
National rankings
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Compare counties
Compare two counties side by side across scores and metrics.
Estimate monthly costs
Estimate monthly costs between two counties using public data and your assumptions.
Interactive map
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More insights
Read data-backed relocation and county-ranking articles.
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See why households compare taxes, housing, schools, and lifestyle differently across regions.
Sources
- Best Counties to Live generated public-data county scores.
- U.S. Census ACS county population, income, housing, and affordability inputs.
- BLS unemployment data and BEA regional economic data.
- Zillow/home value data where available.
- FBI reported crime and modeled safety estimates.
- Public education data and property tax estimates used in the scoring model.