The 10 Worst Small Towns In New York For 2024


The worst small towns in New York are Yorkshire and Whitehall for 2024 based on Friday Night Science.

Most Americans have never been to small town New York. However, as the New Yorker who live there know, small town New York is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, New York has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Empire State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 462 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:


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


These are the worst small towns in New York for 2024:

  1. Yorkshire
  2. Whitehall
  3. Great Bend
  4. Whitney Point
  5. Gouverneur
  6. Cohocton
  7. Clyde
  8. Wolcott
  9. Cattaraugus
  10. Addison

Worst Small Towns To Live In New York Map

So what is the worst small town to call home in New York for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Yorkshire is the worst small town to live in New York.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Yorkshire home. Everyone

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 2024

1. Yorkshire

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,057
Median Home Value: $23,795
Median Income: $29,438
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%

2. Whitehall

Whitehall, NY

Source: Wikipedia User Doug Kerr from Upstate New York | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 2,166
Median Home Value: $141,108
Median Income: $40,294
Unemployment Rate: 12.1%

3. Great Bend

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,208
Median Home Value: $152,788
Median Income: $1,000
Unemployment Rate: 28.9%

4. Whitney Point

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,116
Median Home Value: $174,566
Median Income: $44,120
Unemployment Rate: 28.8%

5. Gouverneur

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,646
Median Home Value: $124,136
Median Income: $42,335
Unemployment Rate: 10.1%

6. Cohocton

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,101
Median Home Value: $96,243
Median Income: $60,735
Unemployment Rate: 9.1%

7. Clyde

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,955
Median Home Value: $132,161
Median Income: $57,688
Unemployment Rate: 11.2%

8. Wolcott

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,322
Median Home Value: $176,405
Median Income: $50,063
Unemployment Rate: 6.3%

9. Cattaraugus

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 1,111
Median Home Value: $145,033
Median Income: $57,574
Unemployment Rate: 8.1%

10. Addison

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 1,841
Median Home Value: $108,377
Median Income: $54,271
Unemployment Rate: 7.3%

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in New York is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in New York, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2018-2022 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 many – 462 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in New York.

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.

The worst small towns in New York are Yorkshire, Whitehall, Great Bend, Whitney Point, Gouverneur, Cohocton, Clyde, Wolcott, Cattaraugus, and Addison.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in New York, according to science:

  1. Plandome (Pop. 1,365)
  2. East Williston (Pop. 2,630)
  3. Saddle Rock (Pop. 1,207)

For more New York reading, check out:

Worst Small Towns In New York

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value Median Income
1 Yorkshire 1,057 8.3% $23,795 $29,438
2 Whitehall 2,166 12.1% $141,108 $40,294
3 Great Bend 1,208 28.9% $152,788 $1,000
4 Whitney Point 1,116 28.8% $174,566 $44,120
5 Gouverneur 3,646 10.1% $124,136 $42,335
6 Cohocton 1,101 9.1% $96,243 $60,735
7 Clyde 1,955 11.2% $132,161 $57,688
8 Wolcott 1,322 6.3% $176,405 $50,063
9 Cattaraugus 1,111 8.1% $145,033 $57,574
10 Addison 1,841 7.3% $108,377 $54,271
11 Westfield 2,714 7.0% $164,521 $43,369
12 Plattsburgh West 1,307 13.2% $83,992 $51,196
13 Stamford 1,155 11.3% $190,720 $46,667
14 Little Valley 1,010 3.9% $96,008 $40,972
15 Afton 1,159 18.7% $116,623 $53,646
16 Ticonderoga 3,399 6.7% $173,639 $49,215
17 Boonville 1,912 8.0% $167,042 $39,934
18 Sherburne 1,186 6.2% $145,367 $45,093
19 Montour Falls 1,830 10.3% $194,066 $33,977
20 Warsaw 2,937 8.8% $147,134 $50,000
21 Loch Sheldrake 1,623 9.4% $284,916 $38,207
22 Delevan 1,175 8.2% $181,272 $61,579
23 Brocton 1,573 6.0% $148,536 $47,763
24 Fort Plain 2,015 6.8% $155,476 $39,016
25 Walton 2,811 6.5% $122,513 $29,790
26 Riverside 2,945 16.5% $0 $56,429
27 St. Bonaventure 2,093 5.6% $151,610 $52,992
28 Northampton 1,405 6.9% $0 $74,856
29 Shokan 1,294 23.8% $413,430 $1,000
30 Carthage 3,399 5.4% $176,174 $59,519
31 Andover 1,018 10.0% $108,605 $61,172
32 North Collins 1,204 11.1% $142,186 $49,028
33 Angola On The Lake 1,640 8.8% $156,440 $65,781
34 Oxford 1,482 6.7% $118,508 $53,542
35 Wayland 1,696 5.0% $108,259 $65,882
36 Holland 1,218 7.0% $210,629 $40,536
37 Port Byron 1,049 4.8% $165,749 $48,882
38 Little Falls 4,596 5.6% $149,304 $51,009
39 Sodus 1,917 8.0% $155,650 $51,960
40 Deposit 1,403 1.7% $128,639 $43,618
41 Green Island 2,968 13.0% $178,351 $64,018
42 Marathon 1,036 7.0% $133,115 $54,000
43 Mcgraw 1,261 7.7% $119,097 $60,781
44 Granville 2,370 4.0% $194,323 $46,337
45 Tupper Lake 2,804 4.8% $113,089 $52,779
46 Rouses Point 2,530 5.6% $191,336 $45,542
47 Bainbridge 1,125 7.4% $138,888 $47,368
48 South Fallsburg 1,938 0.0% $246,608 $1,000
49 Sidney 3,750 11.2% $115,681 $56,667
50 Canisteo 2,094 12.5% $121,217 $64,896
51 Watkins Glen 1,777 6.3% $210,686 $44,542
52 Kerhonkson 2,038 8.3% $367,212 $68,500
53 Hillburn 1,131 8.8% $420,095 $79,688
54 Lake Erie Beach 3,282 3.2% $159,503 $60,132
55 Sand Ridge 1,111 15.3% $233,011 $44,950
56 Weston Mills 1,259 11.6% $133,469 $73,300
57 Nunda 1,140 2.0% $124,987 $50,101
58 Clintondale 1,493 6.4% $414,104 $47,292
59 Washington Heights 1,572 8.9% $374,255 $67,188
60 West End 2,142 3.5% $173,992 $67,017
61 Dolgeville 2,180 2.4% $131,478 $55,353
62 Franklinville 2,035 6.3% $104,254 $68,438
63 Dundee 2,080 2.7% $251,655 $47,344
64 Middleburgh 1,211 1.6% $195,904 $48,393
65 Alfred 4,577 16.4% $161,184 $43,583
66 Williamson 2,560 5.7% $209,999 $58,198
67 Lorenz Park 2,003 4.5% $224,529 $67,200
68 Pulaski 2,090 3.5% $191,375 $61,226
69 Champlain 1,185 3.7% $174,125 $59,423
70 Richfield Springs 1,240 1.4% $194,429 $54,643
71 Canajoharie 1,916 4.1% $117,212 $64,561
72 St. Johnsville 1,771 4.5% $132,648 $43,523
73 Bolivar 1,050 6.2% $85,019 $50,509
74 Wellsville 4,871 5.2% $102,525 $48,784
75 Arcade 2,095 5.5% $172,108 $58,900
76 Philmont 1,559 8.9% $268,854 $60,848
77 Mount Morris 3,347 3.1% $136,942 $59,211
78 Black River 1,660 21.9% $219,367 $80,305
79 West Carthage 1,632 0.9% $189,778 $46,875
80 Moravia 1,398 5.9% $151,375 $57,788
81 Phelps 2,212 6.9% $180,354 $56,630
82 Stottville 1,186 1.8% $245,963 $56,667
83 Castleton-On-Hudson 1,480 22.1% $314,985 $59,453
84 Elmira Heights 4,239 2.4% $109,487 $54,567
85 Alexandria Bay 1,131 9.8% $198,084 $50,714
86 Dryden 1,838 5.4% $250,564 $59,420
87 Dansville 4,774 7.6% $152,304 $56,506
88 Waverly 4,360 7.5% $148,350 $49,060
89 Lowville 3,534 7.6% $190,195 $55,607
90 South Blooming Grove 3,858 13.0% $516,206 $72,063
91 Springville 4,223 4.9% $227,575 $55,305
92 Owego 3,740 3.1% $136,060 $51,200
93 Falconer 2,193 7.3% $125,739 $50,625
94 Cobleskill 4,152 7.6% $198,849 $65,610
95 Phoenix 2,440 8.7% $200,047 $53,920
96 Middleport 1,972 6.1% $189,238 $59,773
97 Newfane 3,234 4.8% $206,678 $60,769
98 Blasdell 2,551 11.9% $172,461 $58,611
99 Seneca Knolls 2,085 10.0% $137,121 $54,011
100 Mineville 1,246 0.0% $123,852 $56,892
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.

13 thoughts on “The 10 Worst Small Towns In New York For 2024

  1. Living in the suburbs of Panama (#5), not in the town proper, I’d say the stretch comes in measuring a town by a few numbers. You would be hard pressed to find a more caring community filled with hard working people. Least densely populated? Maybe the over 1000 of acres of state lands has something to do with that, along with the farms, and larger land plots owned by residents. I’d be tempted to check out the other towns on this list if I ever have to move on from here.

  2. Boy, you missed the boat on many of these. And there are several smaller towns that never made this list. You probably all live in high rise apartments in the city. Snobs.

  3. Panama is in fact, a village, not a town. Charted in 1861. We are located in the Town of Harmony. Panama is also zoned…meaning that no farms can be located in the village unless they existed before zoning, as they were grandfathered in. (The exception being 4-H animal projects) If the farms are sold out of the family that currently owns them, they will not be able to be farmed without a variance. There are large farms in the surrounding area, many have been in families for generations. “Not much inside entertainment to be had.” Our school has one of the top music programs in the area. The auditorium is filled to standing capacity for concerts, musicals and plays. The area churches come together to present a spring musical. Basketball, volleyball, swim meets are attended by everyone, young and old. Our boys basketball team was recently ranked 3rd in the state, our girls basketball team, 2nd in the state. Not bad for a school of 750 students, preK-12. We have a dodge ball tournament that is second to none each year. The kids love it! And if you can’t find much ‘inside entertainment’, that’s a good thing, seeing that we are surrounded by thousands of acres of state lands, which contain hiking trails and in the winter cross country ski trails, as well as having an extensive network of seasonal roads. Miles of groomed and maintained snowmobile trails are found around the village also. We are about 13 miles from Peek and Peak Ski Resort. And let’s not forget Panama Rocks. A geological wonder. An ancient ocean floor which can be hiked and climbed. It is the pride of Panama. Our volunteer fire department is top rate. Their call response time is one of the (fastest) top in the county. In fact, it is being included in a study as to how this is possible…easy….when the siren goes off, many volunteers drop what they are doing and head to the call. Many have an agreement with their employer to do so. Being a volunteer, you don’t get time off from your job after you’ve been out all night fighting a fire. I’ve seen many men and women walking bleary-eyed into work after being out all night trying to save someone’s property. When responding to a call, there is a very high possibility that you know that person, are good friend of that person or even related to that person. Numerous fund raisers and dinners have been given by the people in and around this village for those that have had house fires, injuries or illnesses that have kept them from work. You can always count on the people to just ‘show up’ and help out if you need it, and haven’t even asked for it! Just passing the hat at a basketball game for someone who recently lost their house to a fire collected more than $500..I am proud to say that I am a third generation Panamanian. If I was ever to move, I would check out the other towns that made your infamous list. They sound just like the paradise that I live in and have raised my children in. If you would like to read about the history of our village, please purchase the book, Remembering Panama, Glimpses of the Past by Pamela A. Brown and Heather J. Schneider. You’ll know why we stay here.

    1. Sounds just like all our small towns especially when it comes to the volunteers . Let them have the city .

  4. “Than you’d better get in shape. ” **Then** How am I supposed to trust a journalist that can’t even write?
    I live in Brushton. Low crime rate, fresh air, and quiet…and no, I don’t go to any of the churches around here.

  5. Although I have never lived in Altmar, I have visited there on several occasions and except for the world-class salmon and steel head fishing, the presence of the best snow mobile trail system in the eastern U.S. and an annual snowfall that requires that the trails be groomed every other day, I would pretty much agree with your rating.

  6. I’ve lived in the Utica area for 70 years and never heard of Nelliston. I go north and south of Utica a lot, and never saw any Nelliston south of Utica. When I looked it up it’s actually 35 miles to the East of Utica. As a scientist I’d say that isn’t a very accurate depiction.

    Further, the assumption that low population density is a bad thing, is clearly unscientific and illogical. Would you rather have a thousand people living within a block of your home, or ten?

  7. So people packed together in high density with crazy high home prices, would give a higher score? I think that is a value judgement that some may like, others of us would totally reject. I understand the crime and the unemployment measures.

    But come on, in these towns you can buy a decent home for well under 100k, and in some really pretty areas of NY. Physical beauty should also have been taken into account. Just some thoughts.

  8. How ignorant is all u, if u was og u know Hempstead is the most dangerous, og, gang filled town in all of NY. We gots the crips, blood, bdk, gdk, bd, gd, ms13, 18 st, vatos locos, and alot of other gangs u ain’t heard of. I rep no set, but Ik the seriousness of gangs & I’m warning all of u that ain’t from the ‘Stead & fk Uniondale. U all wannabes, u ain’t never gonna be Hempstead.

  9. How is hooville(Hoosick falls) not on this list? With our poison water, crooked ass judges, failing infrastructure, and lack of employment.

  10. I actually love small town living and upstate NY has a lot of beauty I would take any of these towns over Elmira NY any day.. these places seem beautiful and affordable

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