State rankings

Best Counties to Live in New York

Compare counties in New York by overall score, affordability, economy, schools, safety, taxes, and peace & quiet. Rankings are public-data estimates for comparison and research.

Why Long Island Became So Expensive

A readable look at how land constraints, zoning, school districts, taxes, NYC access, and high incomes shaped Nassau and Suffolk affordability.

Read the Long Island article

#1 in NY

Saratoga County

69.8

Overall score

Open county report

#2 in NY

Putnam County

66.8

Overall score

Open county report

#3 in NY

Genesee County

65.5

Overall score

Open county report

#4 in NY

Madison County

64.1

Overall score

Open county report

#5 in NY

Wyoming County

63.3

Overall score

Open county report

Category highlights

Quick entry points for common county search priorities.

National rankings

Best overall

Saratoga County

Overall score 69.8

Most affordable

Allegany County

Affordability 83.7

Best schools

Nassau County

Schools 97

Safest

Herkimer County

Safety 100

Lowest taxes

Kings County

Taxes 42.4

Best peace & quiet

Clinton County

Peace & Quiet 88.2

All New York counties

Showing 62 counties ranked by the default generated overall score.

Rank	County	Overall	Economy	Afford.	Schools	Safety	Taxes	Peace & Quiet	Typical home	Income
1	Saratoga County FIPS 36091	69.8	81.2	42.1	93.6	93.8	26.9	69.5	$454,235	$100,787
2	Putnam County FIPS 36079	66.8	79.5	44.7	92.8	96.2	0	54.3	$554,659	$126,257
3	Genesee County FIPS 36037	65.5	63	74.6	71.8	83.2	0	85.6	$217,952	$73,314
4	Madison County FIPS 36053	64.1	60.3	67.5	68	96.2	0	82.1	$248,276	$75,499
5	Wyoming County FIPS 36121	63.3	58.8	77	55.5	92.8	0.8	85.6	$198,511	$69,110
6	Lewis County FIPS 36049	63.2	56.7	73	56.2	93.1	15.8	80.7	$189,418	$68,182
7	Hamilton County FIPS 36041	62.9	43.8	55.6	78.6	98	36.7	80.1	$260,924	$68,835
8	Ontario County FIPS 36069	62.9	68.7	57.9	69.8	85.1	5.3	80.3	$312,677	$82,324
9	Livingston County FIPS 36051	62.2	59.7	70.3	60.2	90	0	83.2	$237,471	$74,001
10	Steuben County FIPS 36101	62.2	52.1	79.3	50.8	98.7	1.6	84.2	$164,947	$65,887
11	Otsego County FIPS 36077	60.6	55.4	70.5	46.9	97.4	10.2	81.7	$205,265	$68,885
12	Allegany County FIPS 36003	59.7	46.5	83.7	39.2	99.1	4	81.9	$134,984	$62,869
13	Clinton County FIPS 36019	59.7	56	69.2	44.9	98.9	2	88.2	$219,745	$71,224
14	Rensselaer County FIPS 36083	59.7	74.1	56.7	43.9	97	0	73.5	$314,837	$87,915
15	Wayne County FIPS 36117	59.5	59.9	71.1	48.1	87.3	0	80.8	$239,210	$74,506
16	Suffolk County FIPS 36103	59.4	75.6	31.2	81.8	99.8	6.6	13.4	$697,539	$130,686
17	Tioga County FIPS 36107	59.4	56.8	80.3	32.7	94.3	1.5	86.4	$193,886	$72,739
18	Warren County FIPS 36113	59.4	63.1	38.9	72.4	85.2	25.7	80.6	$365,412	$78,442
19	Albany County FIPS 36001	59.3	70.1	44.8	63.6	98.4	6.2	50.4	$360,528	$85,333
20	Nassau County FIPS 36059	59.3	73.6	28.1	97	80	17.6	14.3	$833,989	$146,202
21	Essex County FIPS 36031	58.8	65.6	53.3	38.4	99.6	24.8	78.8	$264,817	$71,661
22	Washington County FIPS 36115	58.8	61.8	67	44.2	91.1	0.3	81	$243,327	$73,495
23	Herkimer County FIPS 36043	58.7	51.4	74	38.7	100	5.1	81.9	$190,678	$68,515
24	Cayuga County FIPS 36011	58.3	57.8	66	43.7	96.8	0	82.4	$224,377	$67,904
25	St. Lawrence County FIPS 36089	57.3	47.1	82.9	26	98.6	5.1	86.1	$137,846	$62,850
26	Tompkins County FIPS 36109	57.3	59.9	39.5	71	95.3	0	78.7	$347,570	$74,024
27	Chenango County FIPS 36017	56.9	63	78.4	21.1	85.8	2.6	84.2	$158,322	$62,948
28	Niagara County FIPS 36063	56.9	53.1	64	50.8	94.7	0	64.6	$243,485	$69,633
29	Oswego County FIPS 36075	56.9	53.4	73.5	36.6	92	0.8	79.8	$198,056	$69,183
30	Broome County FIPS 36007	56.7	49.1	69.3	47	93.4	0	73.9	$189,468	$62,616
31	Monroe County FIPS 36055	56.5	60.4	59	57.1	93.6	0	24.5	$279,468	$76,382
32	Dutchess County FIPS 36027	56.4	77.9	36	51.4	97.1	0.5	61	$483,492	$99,478
33	Erie County FIPS 36029	56	56.8	55.2	58.1	99.3	0	30	$287,781	$72,839
34	Orleans County FIPS 36073	56	55.3	74.8	27.7	92.3	0	81.7	$192,949	$65,969
35	Chemung County FIPS 36015	55.8	49.4	81.6	22.1	97.6	0	79.9	$152,650	$63,716
36	Cattaraugus County FIPS 36009	55.6	45.7	77	34.6	90.6	2.3	83	$157,763	$59,540
37	Rockland County FIPS 36087	55.5	71.1	15.6	84.5	99.8	10.6	17.6	$740,627	$109,959
38	Onondaga County FIPS 36067	55.4	62.1	61	41.4	91.3	0	52.9	$270,792	$76,945
39	Schoharie County FIPS 36095	55.1	53.3	61.2	39.8	97.8	0	77	$246,702	$70,133
40	Schuyler County FIPS 36097	54.5	50.9	63.3	32.4	96.7	9.3	80.6	$237,962	$67,663
41	Seneca County FIPS 36099	54.5	55.6	67	22.8	98.9	2.5	83.3	$216,606	$68,089
42	Oneida County FIPS 36065	54.4	55.9	65.7	28.5	94.3	0.9	80.5	$227,317	$70,154
43	Delaware County FIPS 36025	53.9	57.2	55.6	33.9	90.6	15.1	75.8	$240,381	$63,337
44	Jefferson County FIPS 36045	53.8	47.2	58.4	34.5	96.8	18.3	82.2	$220,944	$66,301
45	Schenectady County FIPS 36093	53.4	63.6	56.2	33.1	99.9	0	37.8	$300,238	$79,623
46	Fulton County FIPS 36035	53.3	52.9	66.5	28	91.3	2.1	78.5	$210,970	$66,533
47	Greene County FIPS 36039	53.2	70.2	40.7	27.6	95.1	21.5	70.4	$355,244	$77,945
48	Cortland County FIPS 36023	53.1	51.6	72.7	24.6	85.4	0	86.5	$196,363	$70,418
49	Chautauqua County FIPS 36013	52.7	47.2	71.1	25.3	91.4	2.6	81.7	$169,266	$58,351
50	Westchester County FIPS 36119	51.5	76	12.5	92.6	55.7	18.2	14.1	$841,836	$118,976
51	Yates County FIPS 36123	51.5	61.2	46.3	23	91.8	23.5	78.9	$308,449	$69,701
52	Montgomery County FIPS 36057	50.7	51.1	69.2	11.2	95.9	0	80.3	$205,808	$64,943
53	Ulster County FIPS 36111	50.2	64.9	35	30.5	98.2	6	75.1	$431,544	$86,271
54	Columbia County FIPS 36021	48.7	68.7	23.9	29	89.1	25.1	78.4	$466,520	$81,528
55	Franklin County FIPS 36033	48.2	54.7	74.9	14.7	47	15.8	85.3	$169,097	$65,151
56	Orange County FIPS 36071	46	68.1	38.9	52.4	42.2	0	48.8	$456,106	$97,178
57	Sullivan County FIPS 36105	45.2	59.4	41.3	11.8	94.5	0	70.3	$312,275	$72,382
58	Richmond County FIPS 36085	44.6	59.9	14	77.2	-	33.2	13.1	$718,959	$98,333
59	Queens County FIPS 36081	43.1	53.5	10.2	83.2	-	33.9	13.1	$737,653	$86,136
60	New York County FIPS 36061	41.3	57.9	8.8	77.1	34.3	35	11.5	$1,203,663	$103,931
61	Kings County FIPS 36047	35.4	44.2	9.9	58.6	-	42.4	12.7	$946,395	$80,263
62	Bronx County FIPS 36005	13.9	13.9	12.7	10.9	-	22.6	14.3	$497,543	$48,676