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 69.8.
- 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.
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 | 69.8 | 93.6 | 93.8 | 42.1 | $454,235 |
| 2 | Putnam County FIPS 36079 | 66.8 | 92.8 | 96.2 | 44.7 | $554,659 |
| 3 | Genesee County FIPS 36037 | 65.5 | 71.8 | 83.2 | 74.6 | $217,952 |
| 4 | Madison County FIPS 36053 | 64.1 | 68 | 96.2 | 67.5 | $248,276 |
| 5 | Wyoming County FIPS 36121 | 63.3 | 55.5 | 92.8 | 77 | $198,511 |
| 6 | Lewis County FIPS 36049 | 63.2 | 56.2 | 93.1 | 73 | $189,418 |
| 7 | Hamilton County FIPS 36041 | 62.9 | 78.6 | 98 | 55.6 | $260,924 |
| 8 | Ontario County FIPS 36069 | 62.9 | 69.8 | 85.1 | 57.9 | $312,677 |
| 9 | Livingston County FIPS 36051 | 62.2 | 60.2 | 90 | 70.3 | $237,471 |
| 10 | Steuben County FIPS 36101 | 62.2 | 50.8 | 98.7 | 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 | 13.9 | 10.9 | - | 12.7 | $497,543 |
| 2 | Kings County FIPS 36047 | 35.4 | 58.6 | - | 9.9 | $946,395 |
| 3 | New York County FIPS 36061 | 41.3 | 77.1 | 34.3 | 8.8 | $1,203,663 |
| 4 | Queens County FIPS 36081 | 43.1 | 83.2 | - | 10.2 | $737,653 |
| 5 | Richmond County FIPS 36085 | 44.6 | 77.2 | - | 14 | $718,959 |
| 6 | Sullivan County FIPS 36105 | 45.2 | 11.8 | 94.5 | 41.3 | $312,275 |
| 7 | Orange County FIPS 36071 | 46 | 52.4 | 42.2 | 38.9 | $456,106 |
| 8 | Franklin County FIPS 36033 | 48.2 | 14.7 | 47 | 74.9 | $169,097 |
| 9 | Columbia County FIPS 36021 | 48.7 | 29 | 89.1 | 23.9 | $466,520 |
| 10 | Ulster County FIPS 36111 | 50.2 | 30.5 | 98.2 | 35 | $431,544 |
Category winners
Different priorities produce different winners. These counties lead selected category and lifestyle views in the current model.
What the rankings suggest
New York's highest-scoring counties average 64.3 overall and tend to stand out most in safety. The counties with the biggest tradeoffs average 41.7 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.
Where to go 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.