3 New York Cities Among 50 Worst to Live In

The Empire State has a few weaknesses. 3 cities in central and western New York are among the "50 Worst American Cities to Live In."

24/7 Wall St. looked at the 551 U.S. cities with 65,000 people or more. "Based on a range of variables, including crime rates, employment growth, access to restaurants and attractions, educational attainment, and housing affordability, America’s 50 worst cities to live were revealed."

#22 Buffalo - "Buffalo is the second largest New York city, and the most economically and socially distressed."

The average household income is only $32,509 a year. 1 in 3 are living below the poverty line with little employment opportunities. Buffalo's unemployment rate is the highest in the state at 7.1%. There may be some good news though. 1,400 jobs are coming in 2019 after Panasonic invested millions of dollars in a solar cell manufacturing plant.

Let's not forget all that Lake Effect snow Buffalo sees most winters with storms rolling off Lake Erie.

#31 Syracuse - "Syracuse has been in decline for decades."

Over 30% live in poverty, double the average state poverty rate of 15.4%. The job market is to blame with the unemployment at 6.6%, well above the state average of 5.3%.

Homes are pretty cheap in Syracuse. The average is worth only $93,100, a lot less than the state average of $293,500.

At least they have Jim Boeheim and the Orange.

#34 Rochester - "In addition to low incomes, serious financial hardship is common in the western New York city."

The average household income is $31,946 a year. Serious financial hardship is common in Rochester with 1 in 3 residents living in poverty, a higher poverty rate than in all but 14 other U.S. cities.

Property values are very low with more than half of the homes worth less than $77,000, one of the lowest in the country. To make matters worse, residents are faced with high property taxes; 3.3%, far higher than the 1.2% average homeowners pay.

We're not sure what Rochester has other than the Strong National Museum of Play.

Where's the worst place to live in the U.S.? Detroit, Michigan topped the list.

BONUS VIDEO

[247wallst]