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Most Americans have never been to New York. However, as the people who live there know, New York is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New York has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Empire State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 466 of New York's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in New York where you'd never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in New York for 2022:
So what is the worst small town to call home in New York for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Whitehall is the worst small town to live in New York.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since New York has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in New York or the worst places to live in New York.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In New York For 2022
1. Whitehall
/10
2. Wolcott
/10
Population: 1,534
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $71,500 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.4% (9worst)
More on Wolcott: Data
3. Great Bend
/10
Population: 1,329
Rank Last Year: 98 (Up 95)
Median Home Value: $115,400 (106th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.7% (6th worst)
More on Great Bend: Data
4. Yorkshire
/10
Population: 1,005
Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 12)
Median Home Value: $19,000 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.9% (26th worst)
More on Yorkshire: Data
5. Avoca
/10
Population: 1,006
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $81,800 (26th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.5% (63rd worst)
More on Avoca: Data
6. Loch Sheldrake
/10
Population: 1,588
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 5)
Median Home Value: $105,500 (78th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 8.4% (66th worst)
More on Loch Sheldrake: Data
7. Liberty
/10
8. Whitney Point
/10
Population: 1,065
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $112,300 (96th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 32.9% (worst)
More on Whitney Point: Data
9. Fort Plain
/10
Population: 1,837
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 6)
Median Home Value: $57,600 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 6.8% (102nd worst)
More on Fort Plain: Data
10. Gouverneur
/10
Population: 3,697
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $87,600 (42nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.1% (33rd worst)
More on Gouverneur: Data
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in New York, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in New York for 2022
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 466 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In New York
If you're analyzing teeny places in the Empire State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in New York, according to science:
- Poquott (Pop. 1,092)
- Roslyn Estates (Pop. 1,385)
- East Williston (Pop. 2,552)
For more New York reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In New York
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Whitehall | 2,263 |
2 | Wolcott | 1,534 |
3 | Great Bend | 1,329 |
4 | Yorkshire | 1,005 |
5 | Avoca | 1,006 |
6 | Loch Sheldrake | 1,588 |
7 | Liberty | 4,162 |
8 | Whitney Point | 1,065 |
9 | Fort Plain | 1,837 |
10 | Gouverneur | 3,697 |
11 | Delevan | 1,274 |
12 | Little Valley | 1,145 |
13 | Hancock | 1,078 |
14 | Little Falls | 4,673 |
15 | Cohocton | 1,066 |
16 | Marion | 1,251 |
17 | Montour Falls | 1,772 |
18 | Philadelphia | 1,196 |
19 | Walton | 3,020 |
20 | Addison | 1,879 |
21 | Stottville | 1,409 |
22 | Clyde | 1,832 |
23 | Brocton | 1,409 |
24 | South Fallsburg | 1,312 |
25 | Lake Erie Beach | 3,374 |
26 | Nunda | 1,196 |
27 | Mineville | 1,227 |
28 | Sodus | 1,742 |
29 | Ellenville | 4,024 |
30 | Catskill | 3,832 |
31 | Afton | 1,127 |
32 | Deposit | 1,539 |
33 | Boonville | 1,960 |
34 | Newfane | 3,240 |
35 | Oxford | 1,422 |
36 | Sherburne | 1,319 |
37 | Dundee | 2,077 |
38 | Sidney | 3,668 |
39 | Angola On The Lake | 1,682 |
40 | North Collins | 1,183 |
41 | Watkins Glen | 2,046 |
42 | Plattsburgh West | 1,230 |
43 | Mount Morris | 3,064 |
44 | Westfield | 2,766 |
45 | Camden | 2,560 |
46 | Carthage | 3,364 |
47 | Stamford | 1,334 |
48 | Pine Bush | 1,682 |
49 | Holland | 1,249 |
50 | St. Bonaventure | 2,015 |
51 | Canajoharie | 1,571 |
52 | Shokan | 1,355 |
53 | Lake Katrine | 2,536 |
54 | St. Johnsville | 1,866 |
55 | Cobleskill | 4,616 |
56 | Granville | 2,250 |
57 | Munsons Corners | 2,906 |
58 | Rouses Point | 2,403 |
59 | Hillburn | 1,031 |
60 | Dolgeville | 2,494 |
61 | Richfield Springs | 1,136 |
62 | Weston Mills | 1,297 |
63 | Wayland | 1,748 |
64 | Falconer | 2,241 |
65 | Cuba | 1,452 |
66 | Waverly | 4,140 |
67 | Dansville | 4,653 |
68 | Franklinville | 1,865 |
69 | Elmira Heights | 4,206 |
70 | Williamson | 2,642 |
71 | Nedrow | 2,286 |
72 | Tupper Lake | 3,692 |
73 | Lorenz Park | 1,992 |
74 | Sand Ridge | 1,175 |
75 | Northampton | 1,627 |
76 | Fort Edward | 3,275 |
77 | Gowanda | 2,876 |
78 | West End | 2,199 |
79 | Middleburgh | 1,652 |
80 | Arcade | 2,074 |
81 | Northville | 1,141 |
82 | Lincoln Park | 2,167 |
83 | Ticonderoga | 3,466 |
84 | Kerhonkson | 2,200 |
85 | Champlain | 1,326 |
86 | Riverside | 2,610 |
87 | Jordan | 1,447 |
88 | Mohawk | 2,575 |
89 | Owego | 3,850 |
90 | Phoenix | 2,643 |
91 | Mcgraw | 1,137 |
92 | Wellsville | 4,397 |
93 | Glasco | 2,141 |
94 | Port Byron | 1,042 |
95 | Dannemora | 4,060 |
96 | Dover Plains | 1,051 |
97 | Adams | 1,855 |
98 | Minetto | 1,485 |
99 | Blasdell | 2,659 |
100 | Delhi | 3,146 |