Every year in the United States, tens of millions of Americans move to a new home. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the bulk of these moves are motivated by personal circumstances, often relating to housing, family, or employment. But when it comes to deciding on a place to live, it can also be helpful to weigh other, less subjective factors.

As a means of gauging and comparing degrees of development between countries — beyond standard measures like gross domestic product and economic growth — the United Nations created the Human Development Index. By accounting for factors related to health and well-being, educational attainment, and standards of living, the HDI offers an assessment of overall quality of life at the individual level within a given geography.

When applied to communities within the United States, the core principles of the HDI reveal that some parts of the country are far better places to live than others.

Using an index inspired by the HDI, 24/7 Wall St. identified the best counties in New York state to live in. Counties are ranked on a combination of three measures – average life expectancy at birth, the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the poverty rate. Of the 62 counties in New York, we ranked the 30 with the highest HDI score.

Across all of New York, average life expectancy at birth is 80.3 years. Additionally, 13.6% of the population live below the poverty line and 38.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Of the 30 counties on this list, four compare favorably to the state as a whole in each of these metrics.

Among these 30 New York counties, average life expectancy at birth ranges from 78.0 years to 83.7 years. Meanwhile, poverty rates vary between 5.4% and 19.0%, and bachelor’s degree attainment rates range from 25% to over 60%.

Data used to calculate rankings are from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a joint program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. All ACS data are five-year averages.

Why It Matters

Many of the most commonly cited economic indicators — including unemployment, GDP, and industrial output — are useful gauges of prosperity and productive capacity in a given area. But when it comes to measuring overall quality of life, any single metric inevitably falls short. To address these shortcomings, the HDI combines three key social and economic measures into a single index score, allowing for objective comparisons between communities across the United States.

30. Schoharie County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.0 years
• Poverty rate: 10.1%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 25.0%
• Median household income: $71,479
• Population: 29,970

29. Greene County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 78.7 years
• Poverty rate: 10.4%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 27.6%
• Median household income: $70,294
• Population: 48,067

28. Tioga County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years
• Poverty rate: 10.2%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 26.3%
• Median household income: $70,427
• Population: 48,344

27. Orange County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.5 years
• Poverty rate: 13.0%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.6%
• Median household income: $91,806
• Population: 401,237

26. Livingston County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.0 years
• Poverty rate: 11.7%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 29.5%
• Median household income: $70,443
• Population: 61,980

25. Erie County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 78.0 years
• Poverty rate: 13.8%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.4%
• Median household income: $68,014
• Population: 951,232

24. Madison County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.8 years
• Poverty rate: 9.5%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 26.9%
• Median household income: $68,869
• Population: 68,020

23. Ulster County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years
• Poverty rate: 14.7%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.6%
• Median household income: $77,197
• Population: 182,153

22. Otsego County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.6 years
• Poverty rate: 13.0%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 33.7%
• Median household income: $65,778
• Population: 59,678

21. Kings County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.7 years
• Poverty rate: 19.0%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 40.4%
• Median household income: $74,692
• Population: 2,679,620

20. Onondaga County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.0 years
• Poverty rate: 13.9%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.9%
• Median household income: $71,479
• Population: 472,637

19. Essex County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years
• Poverty rate: 10.4%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.2%
• Median household income: $68,090
• Population: 37,314

18. Schenectady County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 78.7 years
• Poverty rate: 11.6%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 34.2%
• Median household income: $75,056
• Population: 159,447

17. Rensselaer County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 78.8 years
• Poverty rate: 11.5%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.4%
• Median household income: $83,734
• Population: 160,943

16. Warren County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 78.9 years
• Poverty rate: 8.6%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 33.8%
• Median household income: $74,531
• Population: 65,684

15. Richmond County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.8 years
• Poverty rate: 10.4%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.3%
• Median household income: $96,185
• Population: 492,925

14. Monroe County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.3 years
• Poverty rate: 13.4%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 40.5%
• Median household income: $71,450
• Population: 756,406

13. Queens County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.8 years
• Poverty rate: 11.7%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 34.8%
• Median household income: $82,431
• Population: 2,360,826

12. Columbia County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.4 years
• Poverty rate: 10.3%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.4%
• Median household income: $81,741
• Population: 61,469

11. Rockland County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.4 years
• Poverty rate: 15.1%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 42.5%
• Median household income: $106,173
• Population: 337,326

10. Ontario County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years
• Poverty rate: 9.0%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 37.2%
• Median household income: $76,603
• Population: 112,288

9. Albany County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.4 years
• Poverty rate: 12.5%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 44.4%
• Median household income: $78,829
• Population: 315,041

8. Dutchess County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years
• Poverty rate: 8.6%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 39.0%
• Median household income: $94,578
• Population: 296,467

7. Suffolk County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.1 years
• Poverty rate: 6.5%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 39.0%
• Median household income: $122,498
• Population: 1,524,486

6. Saratoga County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.4 years
• Poverty rate: 6.6%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 43.4%
• Median household income: $97,038
• Population: 236,328

5. Putnam County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.2 years
• Poverty rate: 6.3%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 42.8%
• Median household income: $120,970
• Population: 97,942

4. Tompkins County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.3 years
• Poverty rate: 16.0%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 57.5%
• Median household income: $69,995
• Population: 102,555

3. Westchester County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.4 years
• Poverty rate: 8.5%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 51.8%
• Median household income: $114,651
• Population: 997,904

2. Nassau County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.0 years
• Poverty rate: 5.4%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 48.2%
• Median household income: $137,709
• Population: 1,389,160

1. New York County

• Avg. life expectancy at birth: 83.7 years
• Poverty rate: 15.8%
• Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 62.8%
• Median household income: $99,880
• Population: 1,645,867

Rank	County	Avg. life expectancy at birth (yrs.)	Adults with a bachelor’s degree (%)	Poverty rate (%)	Population
1	New York, New York	83.7	62.8	15.8	1,645,867
2	Nassau, New York	82.0	48.2	5.4	1,389,160
3	Westchester, New York	82.4	51.8	8.5	997,904
4	Tompkins, New York	81.3	57.5	16.0	102,555
5	Putnam, New York	82.2	42.8	6.3	97,942
6	Saratoga, New York	81.4	43.4	6.6	236,328
7	Suffolk, New York	80.1	39.0	6.5	1,524,486
8	Dutchess, New York	80.1	39.0	8.6	296,467
9	Albany, New York	79.4	44.4	12.5	315,041
10	Ontario, New York	80.1	37.2	9.0	112,288
11	Rockland, New York	81.4	42.5	15.1	337,326
12	Columbia, New York	80.4	36.4	10.3	61,469
13	Queens, New York	81.8	34.8	11.7	2,360,826
14	Monroe, New York	79.3	40.5	13.4	756,406
15	Richmond, New York	79.8	35.3	10.4	492,925
16	Warren, New York	78.9	33.8	8.6	65,684
17	Rensselaer, New York	78.8	35.4	11.5	160,943
18	Schenectady, New York	78.7	34.2	11.6	159,447
19	Essex, New York	79.7	31.2	10.4	37,314
20	Onondaga, New York	79.0	36.9	13.9	472,637
21	Kings, New York	80.7	40.4	19.0	2,679,620
22	Otsego, New York	79.6	33.7	13.0	59,678
23	Ulster, New York	79.7	35.6	14.7	182,153
24	Madison, New York	80.8	26.9	9.5	68,020
25	Erie, New York	78.0	36.4	13.8	951,232
26	Livingston, New York	80.0	29.5	11.7	61,980
27	Orange, New York	79.5	31.6	13.0	401,237
28	Tioga, New York	79.7	26.3	10.2	48,344
29	Greene, New York	78.7	27.6	10.4	48,067
30	Schoharie, New York	80.0	25.0	10.1	29,970

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