The 10 Most Miserable Cities In New York For 2023


The most miserable cities in New York are Hempstead and Haverstraw for 2023 based on Saturday Night Science.

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in New York?

Only a third of New Yorkers say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that folks in New York don’t really have it too bad in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which New York cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using Saturday Night Science and data.

After analyzing the 169 largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Empire State.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Northport is the happiest place in New York.

For more New York reading, check out:

The 10 Most Miserable Places In New York For 2023

Hempstead, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 58,532
Poverty Level: 17.2%
Median Home Price $358,200
Married Households 8.0%
Households With Kids 45.14%
More on Hempstead: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Haverstraw, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 12,292
Poverty Level: 14.8%
Median Home Price $287,200
Married Households 12.0%
Households With Kids 44.16%
More on Haverstraw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Albion, NY

Source: Flickr User Gary Brownell | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 5,281
Poverty Level: 16.5%
Median Home Price $67,700
Married Households 26.0%
Households With Kids 27.71%
More on Albion: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

West Haverstraw, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Alexisrael | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 10,665
Poverty Level: 13.0%
Median Home Price $284,300
Married Households 16.0%
Households With Kids 41.56%
More on West Haverstraw: Data | Cost Of Living

Monticello, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Americasroof | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 7,199
Poverty Level: 27.0%
Median Home Price $121,000
Married Households 16.0%
Households With Kids 35.53%
More on Monticello: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Newburgh, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 28,834
Poverty Level: 21.4%
Median Home Price $166,000
Married Households 14.0%
Households With Kids 36.7%
More on Newburgh: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Freeport, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Ira Goldstein | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 44,328
Poverty Level: 6.9%
Median Home Price $387,200
Married Households 17.0%
Households With Kids 36.15%
More on Freeport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 11,206
Poverty Level: 4.1%
Median Home Price $355,900
Married Households 32.0%
Households With Kids 40.11%
More on Woodbury: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Valley Stream, NY

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 40,304
Poverty Level: 3.4%
Median Home Price $469,200
Married Households 23.0%
Households With Kids 38.71%
More on Valley Stream: Data | Cost Of Living

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 30,086
Poverty Level: 16.5%
Median Home Price $187,800
Married Households 21.0%
Households With Kids 33.86%
More on Middletown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living

Methodology: How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In The Empire State

To rank the unhappiest places in New York, we had to determine what criteria make people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress-free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2017-2021 report for the happy criteria, flipped the list with Saturday Night Science, and it spit out the answer.

Like magic.

Here are the criteria we used to measure misery:

  • Percentage of residents with a college degree
  • Average commute times
  • Unemployment rates
  • Cost of living
  • % of married couples
  • % of families with kids
  • Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 169 places in New York with over 5,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 169 for each of the seven criteria, with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index “earning” the title “Most Miserable City In New York.”

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most miserable cities in New York.

There You Have It – The Least Happy Cities In New York

As we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in New York is usually a subjective matter.

But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in New York, according to science:

  1. Northport
  2. Saranac Lake
  3. Saratoga Springs

For more New York reading, check out:

Miserable Cities In New York For 2023

Rank City Population Poverty Level Median Home Value % Married % Kids
1 Hempstead, NY 58,532 17.2% $358,200 8.0% 45.14%
2 Haverstraw, NY 12,292 14.8% $287,200 12.0% 44.16%
3 Albion, NY 5,281 16.5% $67,700 26.0% 27.71%
4 West Haverstraw, NY 10,665 13.0% $284,300 16.0% 41.56%
5 Monticello, NY 7,199 27.0% $121,000 16.0% 35.53%
6 Newburgh, NY 28,834 21.4% $166,000 14.0% 36.7%
7 Freeport, NY 44,328 6.9% $387,200 17.0% 36.15%
8 Woodbury, NY 11,206 4.1% $355,900 32.0% 40.11%
9 Valley Stream, NY 40,304 3.4% $469,200 23.0% 38.71%
10 Middletown, NY 30,086 16.5% $187,800 21.0% 33.86%
11 Sleepy Hollow, NY 10,176 7.5% $743,500 14.0% 37.83%
12 Port Chester, NY 31,317 10.9% $491,100 13.0% 36.44%
13 Peekskill, NY 25,304 10.8% $308,300 17.0% 27.0%
14 Hornell, NY 8,284 17.0% $69,000 29.0% 28.31%
15 Amsterdam, NY 18,218 23.8% $92,900 25.0% 29.2%
16 Elmira, NY 26,737 25.5% $78,200 27.0% 31.1%
17 Yonkers, NY 209,730 13.2% $420,000 18.0% 31.09%
18 Mount Vernon, NY 72,855 12.7% $380,500 12.0% 26.02%
19 Washingtonville, NY 5,782 6.0% $268,100 37.0% 29.24%
20 Spring Valley, NY 32,953 24.2% $305,700 14.0% 48.68%
21 Gloversville, NY 15,211 22.5% $77,200 30.0% 28.21%
22 Hilton, NY 6,015 9.6% $143,500 42.0% 37.78%
23 Fulton, NY 11,461 23.6% $81,000 32.0% 37.93%
24 Croton-On-Hudson, NY 8,289 3.0% $605,700 28.0% 37.55%
25 Salamanca, NY 5,918 25.9% $67,100 27.0% 31.64%
26 Larchmont, NY 6,532 1.7% $1,217,400 33.0% 46.86%
27 Schenectady, NY 66,809 21.3% $118,300 17.0% 21.87%
28 Ogdensburg, NY 10,153 18.4% $74,400 28.0% 30.17%
29 Utica, NY 64,723 28.0% $106,000 19.0% 31.35%
30 New York, NY 8,736,047 17.0% $660,700 12.0% 27.93%
31 Port Jervis, NY 8,772 24.2% $153,300 24.0% 29.28%
32 Endicott, NY 13,588 26.7% $89,600 25.0% 28.32%
33 Monroe, NY 9,392 4.8% $336,800 31.0% 43.96%
34 Elmsford, NY 5,176 10.6% $472,100 22.0% 41.31%
35 Pelham, NY 7,255 4.7% $711,200 27.0% 47.83%
36 Lindenhurst, NY 27,169 6.3% $395,100 36.0% 35.12%
37 Rochester, NY 211,100 29.3% $93,100 13.0% 25.41%
38 Dobbs Ferry, NY 11,511 3.7% $646,300 27.0% 42.13%
39 Jamestown, NY 28,818 28.1% $66,100 25.0% 28.12%
40 Medina, NY 5,941 17.3% $82,800 39.0% 34.59%
41 Olean, NY 13,941 23.5% $81,000 26.0% 29.17%
42 Sea Cliff, NY 5,084 3.5% $743,400 36.0% 37.02%
43 Syracuse, NY 146,781 30.1% $99,200 15.0% 26.09%
44 Walden, NY 6,841 22.2% $257,300 25.0% 36.13%
45 Solvay, NY 6,661 16.0% $121,200 31.0% 31.28%
46 New Rochelle, NY 80,685 10.3% $578,000 20.0% 31.03%
47 Kingston, NY 23,972 18.9% $198,900 23.0% 28.68%
48 Hudson, NY 5,964 23.5% $240,800 15.0% 26.04%
49 Poughkeepsie, NY 31,475 18.8% $214,300 16.0% 24.92%
50 Ossining, NY 27,368 8.7% $377,700 20.0% 29.99%
51 Buffalo, NY 276,011 27.6% $112,900 18.0% 26.36%
52 New Hempstead, NY 5,440 2.2% $593,800 22.0% 43.2%
53 Harrison, NY 28,635 4.0% $894,000 25.0% 47.14%
54 Wappingers Falls, NY 6,074 8.6% $253,500 27.0% 25.58%
55 Niagara Falls, NY 48,763 23.8% $81,700 28.0% 25.15%
56 Great Neck, NY 11,034 10.1% $893,100 26.0% 43.98%
57 Rye, NY 16,459 4.4% $1,529,400 25.0% 46.55%
58 Auburn, NY 26,913 20.2% $114,000 26.0% 27.45%
59 Westbury, NY 15,772 5.3% $496,200 21.0% 30.14%
60 East Rockaway, NY 10,108 4.9% $531,700 42.0% 32.57%
61 Lockport, NY 20,876 12.4% $103,900 33.0% 26.86%
62 Cohoes, NY 17,931 16.1% $177,300 29.0% 24.93%
63 Lackawanna, NY 19,697 22.1% $102,900 23.0% 24.2%
64 Brockport, NY 7,246 22.0% $109,600 13.0% 19.8%
65 Oswego, NY 17,105 25.2% $93,200 29.0% 28.13%
66 Pleasantville, NY 7,469 5.7% $701,900 27.0% 37.72%
67 Binghamton, NY 47,828 32.0% $95,200 19.0% 22.4%
68 Troy, NY 50,717 23.3% $155,000 18.0% 24.12%
69 Johnson City, NY 15,275 19.6% $94,600 25.0% 22.1%
70 Beacon, NY 13,713 9.2% $342,200 27.0% 28.12%
71 Mamaroneck, NY 19,989 5.0% $640,900 22.0% 39.72%
72 Scarsdale, NY 18,063 2.4% $1,474,000 30.0% 55.47%
73 New Hyde Park, NY 10,262 3.0% $631,400 29.0% 40.02%
74 Rye Brook, NY 9,909 5.3% $794,700 36.0% 40.07%
75 Irvington, NY 6,594 1.9% $801,900 29.0% 54.05%
76 Norwich, NY 6,982 17.9% $100,500 31.0% 23.05%
77 Mechanicville, NY 5,191 18.8% $158,300 30.0% 29.61%
78 Airmont, NY 9,964 10.9% $575,300 34.0% 46.83%
79 Kings Point, NY 5,493 2.8% $2,000,001 19.0% 41.45%
80 Goshen, NY 5,705 7.3% $299,600 24.0% 26.92%
81 Great Neck Plaza, NY 7,429 8.7% $399,800 20.0% 23.21%
82 Scotia, NY 7,305 7.5% $153,200 35.0% 35.19%
83 Cortland, NY 17,577 21.9% $115,400 21.0% 25.99%
84 Williston Park, NY 7,571 1.8% $615,900 36.0% 39.81%
85 Bath, NY 5,613 16.2% $89,100 36.0% 20.13%
86 Bronxville, NY 6,569 7.5% $1,039,100 23.0% 41.2%
87 Mount Kisco, NY 10,904 7.6% $432,000 19.0% 29.24%
88 Lynbrook, NY 20,325 4.5% $519,200 35.0% 31.51%
89 Suffern, NY 11,376 6.3% $309,400 22.0% 25.32%
90 Chestnut Ridge, NY 10,211 19.1% $577,800 32.0% 40.89%
91 Herkimer, NY 7,239 13.6% $95,800 34.0% 18.61%
92 Patchogue, NY 12,341 7.7% $364,400 27.0% 24.33%
93 Hudson Falls, NY 7,413 18.8% $137,800 28.0% 23.56%
94 Batavia, NY 15,497 16.0% $108,100 29.0% 20.48%
95 Pelham Manor, NY 5,698 2.7% $918,500 37.0% 41.1%
96 Lake Grove, NY 11,110 5.7% $449,900 43.0% 32.47%
97 Rome, NY 32,309 17.4% $105,900 31.0% 27.73%
98 Newark, NY 9,049 13.0% $103,800 31.0% 30.13%
99 Dunkirk, NY 12,651 26.7% $71,500 25.0% 24.78%
100 Johnstown, NY 8,247 12.4% $112,400 35.0% 27.63%
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

3 thoughts on “The 10 Most Miserable Cities In New York For 2023

  1. Your criteria for happiness are ridiculous- this article is kind of total nonsense.
    Tell us where we should go? Disneyland?

    Science and data ? Did you talk to anybody? Like the people of Beacon who are apparently pretty miserable?
    Maybe you’re just miserable because because you can’t think of anything good to write about. Stop projecting your shit on everyone – this article is trash.

  2. Haverstraw, is low on this list but should be a great place given its special location and history of its post office and brick industry. It always was grear and will show its greatness.. There is only 1 rather simple issue in Haverstraw and the addresses are between 101 RIverside Avenue (CRH Oldcastle longstanding criminal associations), a real estate developer who does not pay his part of the village’s debt properly and heading north to village hall that has an odd out of place debt that for years has prevented it from being part of the Town of Haverstraw.

  3. Your criteria puts university towns and cities at a serious disadvantage for ranking.
    NOT miserable places.

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