A recent study has identified eight New York counties as the apex of safety in America, with three of them being situated within the Hudson Valley. In addition to these three, five other counties in the grander New York State area have made their mark on the list. Despite a common tendency toward grumbling over high tax rates, it’s vital to note the adage ‘Value is in the eye of the beholder.’ Indeed, New York might not be the cheapest place to reside, but correspondingly, it is counted as one of the nation’s safest zones.
The long-standing idyllic picture of rural America being synonymous with safety appears to be more of a mythscape than a factual portrayal. The well-known imagery of unsecured doors in small, peaceful towns seems to be fading, replaced by narratives of vacant businesses and crime in the heartland spurred on by drug misuse. Interestingly, urban areas and suburbs appear to fare better in terms of safety, courtesy of rapid access to emergency medical care and localized government efforts to fortify policing and security measures.
A report by the U.S. News and World Report has carefully pieced together a list of America’s safest counties. They arrived at the rankings through meticulously examining factors such as crime figures, injury rates and the general state of public safety. The report undertook a detailed investigation into aspects such as violent and property crime rates, the level of accessibility to emergency amenities, vehicular accident statistics and government budget allocation towards health and emergency services.
Emerging triumphant at the end of this exhaustive research were eight New York counties, all of which were positioned among the 25 safest residential locales nationwide. Crowned as the safest offshoot on this list was Nassau County. The Long Island-based county clinched top spot with a stellar overall score of 83.59, impressively leading the rankings based on per-capita expenditure on health and emergency services. The public safety domain also saw Nassau County acing with a full score of 100.
Close on the heels of Alexandria, Virginia, Rockland County emerged third on the safety leaderboard. The Hudson Valley region is known for its lower crime rates and superior medical facilities; factors that contributed significantly to its sterling public safety score of 94. Additional pride for the Hudson Valley came in the form of two other counties featuring in the top 10 of the list.
Westchester County found itself in an honorable 6th position, while Putnam County squeezed into the top 10 by claiming the 8th spot. The primary criteria that catapulted Westchester and Putnam into these esteemed rankings were lower vehicular casualty rates and a significantly decreasing graph of violent crime rates, respectively.
Other New York areas endorsing their spot amongst the nation’s top-five safest locations include Richmond County (17th), Queens County (20th), Suffolk County (22nd), and Kings County (25th). Amidst these safety triumphs, New York State officials are grappling with a matter of concern—the fact that death from overdoses saw a surge of 85 percent.
The spotlight also fell on the top six counties in terms of the highest per capita rate of opioid-related deaths. The areas were 1) Dutchess County 2) Niagara County 3) Bronx County 4) Monroe County 5) Onondaga County, and 6) Orange County.
In a parallel review examining property tax rates, certain New York counties appeared as those where homeowners pay the highest property taxes. The statistics for this review was obtained from Tax-Rates.org, which illuminated the participation of Southern Tier counties.
The list of counties with the steepest property taxes included: 10. Schenectady County 9. Ulster County 8. Dutchess County 7. Orange County 6. New York County 5. Suffolk County 4. Putnam County 3. Rockland County 2. Nassau County, and at the top of this bracing leaderboard was 1. Westchester County.
Lastly, several other counties also warrant attention in the demographic breakdown of New York State. These include: Chenango County, Cortland County, Broome County, Tompkins County, Tioga County, Ostego County, and Delaware County.
The interwoven data threads from both the studies—one related to safety and the other to property tax rates—offer an insightful perspective into the variations and, in many instances, paradoxes inherent in living conditions within New York State counties.
In conclusion, whilst New York State hosts some of the safest locales in the country, it also bears some of the highest property tax rates. Each county has its own unique blend of assets and challenges, making it essential for potential residents to consider all these factors when deciding upon their chosen place of residence.