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The concept of a “lazy” employee can be frustrating, especially when you’re the one picking up the slack. The person who seems to glide through the workday while relying on others to do the heavy lifting is often the target of office grumbles.
If you find yourself living in one of these New York towns, you might even see a bit of that laid-back attitude reflected in your own work habits.
This isn’t a personal attack; rather, it’s an observation that certain areas may foster a more relaxed approach to work. No one enjoys collaborating with someone who doesn’t pull their weight.
To find out which towns in New York embody this laid-back ethos, we combed through the latest American Community Survey data. We analyzed various factors that could be indicative of a more leisurely lifestyle, particularly in the workplace.
After crunching the numbers, here are the ten “Most Laid-Back Places in New York” based on our findings:
Continue reading to see which towns are home to the most relaxed individuals, or skip to the end to find out where your town ranks.
On a positive note, Kings Point has been recognized as the hardest-working place in New York.
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How We Identified the Laid-Back Places in the Empire State
At Zippia, we pride ourselves on using data to tackle challenging questions. For this analysis, we turned to the American Community Survey to find insights about work habits across various towns.
Using the most recent data, we looked at several key factors to determine the most laid-back towns in New York, including:
- Lowest average hours worked
- Shortest commute times
- Fewest workers per household (calculated as labor force divided by the number of households)
- Highest unemployment rates
- Lowest percentage of adults with a college degree
Our rationale is straightforward: if a community has fewer college graduates, shorter work hours, and a higher unemployment rate, it likely reflects a more relaxed approach to work.
After gathering data from 170 places across New York with populations over 5,000, we ranked each location based on the criteria above, with ‘1’ being the most laid-back.
Ultimately, Salamanca emerged as the town with the lowest lazy index, claiming the title of the “Most Laid-Back Place in New York.”
Check out the detailed chart below to understand why each town ranked where it did.
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1. Salamanca
Population: 5,717
College Educated: 12.1%
Unemployment Rate: 14.1%
2. Gloversville
Population: 15,395
College Educated: 13.7%
Unemployment Rate: 14.7%
3. Massena
Population: 10,937
College Educated: 20.2%
Unemployment Rate: 14.4%
4. Jamestown
Population: 30,799
College Educated: 18.4%
Unemployment Rate: 12.3%
5. Niagara Falls
Population: 49,679
College Educated: 16.5%
Unemployment Rate: 11.6%
6. Utica
Population: 61,852
College Educated: 16.6%
Unemployment Rate: 12.9%
7. Dunkirk
Population: 12,386
College Educated: 16.8%
Unemployment Rate: 9.9%
8. Fulton
Population: 11,786
College Educated: 15.5%
Unemployment Rate: 15.7%
9. Elmira
Population: 29,046
College Educated: 14.1%
Unemployment Rate: 9.2%
10. Medina
Population: 5,962
College Educated: 22.8%
Unemployment Rate: 15.5%
Final Thoughts on New York’s Laid-Back Communities
As mentioned earlier, identifying the most laid-back places in New York can be subjective. However, by analyzing work habits, education levels, and employment rates, we’ve compiled a list that reflects these communities’ relaxed approach to work.
Complete Overview of the Most Laid-Back Places in New York
| City | Rank |
|---|---|
| Salamanca | 1 |
| Gloversville | 2 |
| Massena | 3 |
| Jamestown | 4 |
| Niagara Falls | 5 |
| Utica | 6 |
| Dunkirk | 7 |
| Fulton | 8 |
| Elmira | 9 |
| Medina | 10 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
