Best Cities for Families in New York

Strong schools, low crime, affordable homes and family-friendly commutes.

Retirees Remote Workers Families Young Professionals Affordability All Rankings →
All United States  ·  New York

How We Score

Each metric is normalized 0-100 across U.S. cities, then weighted and summed. Cities missing any metric are excluded.

Schools · 25% Safety · 20% Home Affordability · 15% Low Poverty · 10% Jobs · 10% Short Commute · 10% Education · 10%

Top 12 Families Cities in New York

Ranked by composite score across 7 weighted metrics.

#1
Score 82.9
Brewster, NY
2,510 residents
Schools 6.4
Safety 40/100K
Home Affordability $351,800
#2
Score 82.8
Saratoga Springs, NY
28,542 residents
Schools 6.5
Safety 186/100K
Home Affordability $445,100
#3
Score 81.9
Port Washington, NY
17,613 residents
Schools 6.7
Safety 126/100K
Home Affordability $976,200
#4
Score 81.1
Glen Cove, NY
28,101 residents
Schools 6.7
Safety 112/100K
Home Affordability $654,500
#5
Score 79.6
White Plains, NY
59,818 residents
Schools 6.4
Safety 111/100K
Home Affordability $624,100
#6
Score 78.9
Beacon, NY
14,629 residents
Schools 6.4
Safety 111/100K
Home Affordability $422,000
#7
Score 76.7
Ithaca, NY
31,792 residents
Schools 5.8
Safety 205/100K
Home Affordability $330,100
#8
Score 76.3
Brookville, NY
2,944 residents
Schools 6.7
Safety 34/100K
Home Affordability $2,000,001
#9
Score 75.5
Peekskill, NY
25,484 residents
Schools 6.4
Safety 228/100K
Home Affordability $376,800
#10
Score 75.3
Canandaigua, NY
10,542 residents
Schools 5.9
Safety 249/100K
Home Affordability $218,300
#11
Score 74.1
Tonawanda Town, NY
56,973 residents
Schools 5.6
Safety 151/100K
Home Affordability $199,400
#12
Score 74.1
Oneonta, NY
14,467 residents
Schools 5.3
Safety 80/100K
Home Affordability $187,800

Full Ranking, New York

Top 50 cities. Click any city to see its full profile.

1 Brewster NY 82.9
2 Saratoga Springs NY 82.8
3 Port Washington NY 81.9
4 Glen Cove NY 81.1
5 White Plains NY 79.6
6 Beacon NY 78.9
7 Ithaca NY 76.7
8 Brookville NY 76.3
9 Peekskill NY 75.5
10 Canandaigua NY 75.3
11 Tonawanda Town NY 74.1
12 Oneonta NY 74.1
13 Corning NY 72.8
14 Sherrill NY 72.4
15 Plattsburgh NY 71.9
16 Rensselaer NY 70.3
17 North Tonawanda NY 70.1
18 Tonawanda NY 69.4
19 Glens Falls NY 69.1
20 Johnstown NY 67.3
21 Batavia NY 67
22 Amsterdam NY 66.5
23 Cohoes NY 66
24 Hornell NY 66
25 Lackawanna NY 65.7
26 Kingston NY 65.4
27 Black River NY 64.5
28 Geneva NY 63.9
29 Watervliet NY 63.6
30 Olean NY 63.5
31 Little Falls NY 63.4
32 Rome NY 63.4
33 Norwich NY 63.2
34 Mechanicville NY 62.6
35 Middletown NY 62.3
36 Cortland NY 62.3
37 Oswego NY 62.3
38 Dunkirk NY 62.1
39 Oneida NY 61.6
40 Salamanca NY 61.2
41 Watertown NY 61.2
42 Troy NY 61.1
43 Niagara Falls NY 60.6
44 Port Jervis NY 60.5
45 Auburn NY 60.5
46 Binghamton NY 60
47 Gloversville NY 59.3
48 Fulton NY 59
49 Rochester NY 58.8
50 Albany NY 58.6

Brewster, NY tops the list with a composite score of 82.9 out of 100, followed by Saratoga Springs and Port Washington. NY dominates the top 12 with 12 cities, reflecting strong performance across the weighted metrics for families.

Rankings combine 7 independent metrics: Schools, Safety, Home Affordability, Low Poverty, Jobs, Short Commute, Education. Cities are weighted to reflect what matters most to families, and any city missing one or more metrics is excluded to avoid artificially inflated rankings.

Explore Other Best Cities Rankings

Best Cities for Retirees
Low crime, warm climate, affordable cost of living and strong healthcare access.
Best Cities for Remote Workers
Strong broadband, affordable rent, low traffic and existing remote-work culture.
Best Cities for Young Professionals
High incomes, educated peers, transit access and an under-35 demographic.
Most Affordable Cities
The lowest cost of living across home prices, rent, services and rent burden.

Related Single-Metric Rankings

Safest Cities → Most Affordable → Most Educated →