The 10 Happiest Places To Live In New York

Ever wondered where in the country people are happiest? Better yet, what cities in your state have the secret sauce for happiness?

Just like where you work and what you do, where you live can have major implications for your quality of life. We set out to find the cities in New York where life is sweetest, the wages are high, and people aren’t wasting their lives away in cars,

The results? Happiness comes in small packages.

The result is this list of the best cities for :

These are the happiest places in New York. Keep reading to see what has everyone grinning so much.

How did we determined the happiest places to live in New York?

We turned happiness into a science and scoured the state to find the cities with all the ingredients for happiness:

Being well educated (Population with at least a bachelor’s degree)
Percent of households earning above $75,000
Median home prices
A short commute to work (Traffic = unhappiness)
Having a family (Getting, and staying married, has a ton of happiness benefits, on average)

We examined over 341 cities, to find the cities that have all of the above in spades.

While some may be confused to see marriage rates included in our metrics, studies show that married people are typically happier than unmarried people. However, it is worth noting that marriage doesn’t cause happiness. In fact, people leaving a bad marriage experience spikes of happiness. However, a happy marriage and positive social interactions are important for mood and mental health.

Similarly, if you’re scratching your head to see $75,000 as the cut-off for happiness, blame Purdue University. Their study found that amount meets basic needs and frees people from the pitfalls of deep financial insecurity that cause unhappiness.

All of our data comes from the most recent American Community Survey.

Keep reading for more on why each of these 10 places is brimming with happiness—or hop to the bottom to see where your city landed on the list.

1. East Hills

Population: 7,113
Earners Over $75k: 87.1%
Average Commute: 41
Marriage Rate: 56.0%

East Hills is the happiest city in all of New York. What makes East Hills residents so happy? They aren’t wasting their lives on long commutes for one. The average East Hills resident only drives 41.8 minuted to work. Toss in affordable housing and the fact that most East Hills residents are coming home to a loving partner and it’s easy to see the city has a lot going for it.

2. Garden City

Population: 22,533
Earners Over $75k: 79.8%
Average Commute: 37
Marriage Rate: 47.0%

In 2nd place we have Garden City. Residents of Garden City are highly educated, with an impressive 75.0% having at least a bachelor’s degree. And in this modern day, education means options, and folks in Garden City have plenty of them.

3. Pelham Manor

Source: Wikipedia User Sscheinfe | CC BY-SA 3.0

Population: 5,595
Earners Over $75k: 84.2%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 35.0%

Pelham Manor is the third happiest city in New York. Why so happy? 35.0% of Pelham Manor residents come home to a partner to share their life burdens. Bonus? Short commutes give them more time to spend with all their loved ones or on hobbies they enjoy.

4. Wesley Hills

Population: 5,858
Earners Over $75k: 73.5%
Average Commute: 34
Marriage Rate: 38.0%

Folks in Wesley Hills have a lot to smile about. An impressive 73.5% of Wesley Hills households earn $75,000 or more. That means families in Wesley Hills can afford peace of mind.

5. North Merrick

Population: 12,232
Earners Over $75k: 78.0%
Average Commute: 36
Marriage Rate: 49.0%

North Merrick is the 5th happiest city in the whole state. North Merrick residents’ moods are kept high by reasonable home prices (the median home price in this New York city is only $482,900), happy marriages, and short commutes.

6. Blauvelt

Population: 5,620
Earners Over $75k: 82.3%
Average Commute: 32
Marriage Rate: 36.0%

Looking to relocate? Data says you should give Blauvelt a second look because it has all the ingredients for happiness. A staggering 82.3% of households earn over 75,000. Toss in high marriage rates and reasonable commutes, and it’s easy to see those who call Blauvelt home have a lot to be happy about.

7. East Shoreham

Population: 6,484
Earners Over $75k: 81.7%
Average Commute: 33
Marriage Rate: 49.0%

East Shoreham is the 7th happiest city. East Shoreham residents pull in respectable salaries and manage to do it, on average, within 33.9 minutes of their home. They can use all that extra time saved from a long commute to indulge in hobbies they’re passionate about.

8. Scarsdale

Source: Wikipedia User Msact | GFDL

Population: 17,805
Earners Over $75k: 88.9%
Average Commute: 42
Marriage Rate: 34.0%

Scarsdale residents are highly educated with good incomes, decent marriage rates, and reasonable commutes. What’s not to be happy about?

9. Cold Spring Harbor

Population: 5,164
Earners Over $75k: 82.8%
Average Commute: 39
Marriage Rate: 43.0%

The 9th happiest city in all of New York is Cold Spring Harbor. The average commute in Cold Spring Harbor is only 39.9 minutes. That means they are only 39.9 minutes away from the loving spouse 43.0% of them have.

10. Rye Brook

Population: 9,459
Earners Over $75k: 77.0%
Average Commute: 34
Marriage Rate: 37.0%

In 10th place is Rye Brook, New York. What makes Rye Brook so great? Affordable housing, reasonable commutes, and healthy incomes. If happiness is contagious, moving here might be worth a try.

And that’s our list of the happiest cities in New York

There you have it, happiness is a place.

While we can’t guarantee everyone living and working in the top 10 cities is happy, they have a better chance the most.

If you are looking to improve your own happiness, check out how you can help improve your personal factors: housing costs, job satisfaction, income, and education.

If your city didn’t make the top 10, check out the list below to see whether it missed the cut by a hair or if folks there are struggling to escape despair.

Detailed List Of The Happiest Cities In

Rank	City	High Earners	Average Commute	Marriage Rate
1	East Hills	87.1%	41	56.0%
2	Garden City	79.8%	37	47.0%
3	Pelham Manor	84.2%	36	35.0%
4	Wesley Hills	73.5%	34	38.0%
5	North Merrick	78.0%	36	49.0%
6	Blauvelt	82.3%	32	36.0%
7	East Shoreham	81.7%	33	49.0%
8	Scarsdale	88.9%	42	34.0%
9	Cold Spring Harbor	82.8%	39	43.0%
10	Rye Brook	77.0%	34	37.0%
11	Dix Hills	77.8%	38	43.0%
12	Stony Brook	73.7%	29	39.0%
13	Nesconset	72.1%	34	49.0%
14	Wantagh	77.7%	35	51.0%
15	Wading River	69.6%	29	50.0%
16	Woodmere	69.1%	40	44.0%
17	Merrick	79.7%	40	48.0%
18	Commack	72.3%	34	47.0%
19	Old Bethpage	65.5%	32	46.0%
20	Plainview	74.3%	38	45.0%
21	Syosset	76.1%	39	36.0%
22	Jericho	80.2%	38	34.0%
23	Centerport	75.2%	37	49.0%
24	Larchmont	84.9%	44	31.0%
25	Greenville Cdp (Westchester County)	86.7%	46	31.0%
26	Sea Cliff	70.9%	32	39.0%
27	Smithtown	70.5%	33	48.0%
28	Bellmore	74.5%	37	49.0%
29	Hauppauge	67.7%	31	43.0%
30	Harrison	71.1%	31	24.0%
31	East Islip	72.2%	32	46.0%
32	Rye	74.8%	37	28.0%
33	West Hills	75.2%	37	46.0%
34	Briarcliff Manor	77.6%	40	37.0%
35	Thiells	76.0%	32	39.0%
36	Kings Point	76.0%	34	25.0%
37	Williston Park	65.9%	32	39.0%
38	Pelham	68.4%	34	27.0%
39	Plainedge	69.7%	30	45.0%
40	Massapequa	70.7%	36	51.0%
41	Massapequa Park	72.5%	37	52.0%
42	Pleasantville	64.8%	31	31.0%
43	Elwood	70.2%	34	42.0%
44	Seaford	77.3%	36	48.0%
45	Irvington	67.0%	37	32.0%
46	Setauket-East Setauket	74.5%	36	39.0%
47	Fort Salonga	70.3%	37	49.0%
48	North Bellmore	74.7%	37	44.0%
49	Melville	65.5%	33	45.0%
50	Mount Sinai	69.1%	30	46.0%
51	Bronxville	76.8%	39	23.0%
52	North Hills	74.5%	32	41.0%
53	Manhasset	67.9%	36	32.0%
54	Lawrence	65.5%	37	42.0%
55	West Islip	71.3%	32	46.0%
56	Port Washington	69.0%	40	36.0%
57	Woodbury	72.3%	42	42.0%
58	Stony Brook University	64.7%	20	2.0%
59	North Massapequa	72.6%	36	49.0%
60	New City	73.4%	35	36.0%
61	Hastings-On-Hudson	71.7%	40	31.0%
62	Dobbs Ferry	74.4%	31	25.0%
63	Floral Park	67.7%	37	43.0%
64	New Hempstead	78.5%	37	34.0%
65	Airmont	58.8%	30	36.0%
66	Roslyn Heights	68.6%	40	27.0%
67	Rockville Centre	66.8%	40	41.0%
68	Harris Hill	61.7%	20	44.0%
69	Miller Place	70.5%	39	45.0%
70	South Farmingdale	69.3%	33	47.0%
71	Croton-On-Hudson	70.3%	42	32.0%
72	Eastchester	67.0%	34	35.0%
73	Kaser	6.7%	17	52.0%
74	Sayville	66.4%	33	46.0%
75	New Hyde Park	74.8%	37	27.0%
76	Oceanside	68.3%	37	46.0%
77	Tappan	60.7%	30	34.0%
78	Islip Terrace	67.1%	30	43.0%
79	Congers	73.0%	35	34.0%
80	Jefferson Valley-Yorktown	71.0%	37	44.0%
81	St. James	64.9%	35	44.0%
82	East Northport	65.8%	36	46.0%
83	North New Hyde Park	75.1%	37	27.0%
84	Pearl River	69.5%	36	37.0%
85	Greenlawn	62.2%	31	33.0%
86	Viola	47.7%	33	33.0%
87	Bayport	63.4%	31	44.0%
88	Monsey	28.9%	22	45.0%
89	Port Jefferson	64.7%	28	35.0%
90	Bethpage	64.1%	32	46.0%
91	Babylon	68.1%	37	44.0%
92	Albertson	72.4%	37	34.0%
93	Great Neck	59.2%	34	21.0%
94	Holbrook	67.0%	32	45.0%
95	Springs	63.6%	30	32.0%
96	Salisbury	70.7%	37	38.0%
97	South Huntington	67.4%	32	39.0%
98	North Wantagh	68.6%	36	49.0%
99	Kings Park	63.6%	33	45.0%
100	Northport	64.8%	35	40.0%

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Author

Kathy Morris

Kathy is the head of content at Zippia with a knack for engaging audiences. Prior to joining Zippia, Kathy worked at Gateway Blend growing audiences across diverse brands. She graduated from Troy University with a degree in Social Science Education.

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