There are all types when it comes to being a snob in New York. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobsas in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).
How can we tell which New York cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.
We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in New York. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.
After analyzing 165 of the state’s most populous areas over 5,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of New York.
The New Yorker in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Snobbiest Places In New York
Don’t freak out.
What’s the snobbiest place in New York? The snobbiest place in New York is Scarsdale based on the data. If we had their wealth and lifestyle, we’d probably be a little snobby, too.
The most laid back? That would be Salamanca.
We’re not so full of ourselves as to make this ranking up from nowhere. So here’s a look at the top ten and more on how we did it. And if you’re curious, New York is the 3rd snobbiest in the United States.
For more New York reading, check out:
The 10 Snobbiest Places In New York For 2024
/10
% Highly Educated: 89.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $1,926,527
More on Scarsdale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 82.0%
Median Income: $227,565
Median Home Price: $2,034,669
More on Rye: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 80.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $1,503,280
More on East Hills: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 81.0%
Median Income: $220,714
Median Home Price: $1,464,885
More on Larchmont: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 80.0%
Median Income: $250,001
Median Home Price: $1,213,121
More on Pelham Manor: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 77.0%
Median Income: $206,850
Median Home Price: $1,414,491
More on Bronxville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 77.0%
Median Income: $182,401
Median Home Price: $1,477,467
More on North Hills: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 80.0%
Median Income: $184,569
Median Home Price: $1,089,139
More on Irvington: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 76.0%
Median Income: $169,029
Median Home Price: $1,754,064
More on Lawrence: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 79.0%
Median Income: $208,988
Median Home Price: $943,253
More on Briarcliff Manor: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Empire State
Do you think wed just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.
We gathered up all of the places in New York with populations of 5,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 165 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, its not a word. English snob.):
- Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
- Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
- Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.
Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:
- Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
From there, we ranked each of our 165 places in each category with scores from one to 165. We then averaged each places ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in New York. So lets all flip a table in honor of Scarsdale (with our pinkies up, of course.)
Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, lets remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.
And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.
There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse
When it comes to snobbery, these places in New York are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The snobbiest cities in New York are Scarsdale, Rye, East Hills, Larchmont, Pelham Manor, Bronxville, North Hills, Irvington, Lawrence, and Briarcliff Manor.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most laid back places in New York, according to science:
- Salamanca
- Albion
- Elmira
For more New York reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In New York
- Cheapest Places To Live In New York
- Most Dangerous Places In New York
- Richest Cities In New York
- Safest Places In New York According To Science
- Worst Places To Live In New York State
- Most Expensive Places To Live In New York
Table: The Snobbiest Cities In New York For 2024
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Adult Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scarsdale, NY | 18,061 | $250,001 | $1,926,527 | 89.0% |
| 2 | Rye, NY | 16,447 | $227,565 | $2,034,669 | 82.0% |
| 3 | East Hills, NY | 7,242 | $250,001 | $1,503,280 | 80.0% |
| 4 | Larchmont, NY | 6,549 | $220,714 | $1,464,885 | 81.0% |
| 5 | Pelham Manor, NY | 5,682 | $250,001 | $1,213,121 | 80.0% |
| 6 | Bronxville, NY | 6,570 | $206,850 | $1,414,491 | 77.0% |
| 7 | North Hills, NY | 5,425 | $182,401 | $1,477,467 | 77.0% |
| 8 | Irvington, NY | 6,590 | $184,569 | $1,089,139 | 80.0% |
| 9 | Lawrence, NY | 6,773 | $169,029 | $1,754,064 | 76.0% |
| 10 | Briarcliff Manor, NY | 7,395 | $208,988 | $943,253 | 79.0% |
| 11 | Rye Brook, NY | 9,920 | $199,965 | $1,008,631 | 70.0% |
| 12 | Ardsley, NY | 5,013 | $243,594 | $844,517 | 75.0% |
| 13 | Pelham, NY | 7,261 | $172,692 | $1,115,333 | 65.0% |
| 14 | Hastings-On-Hudson, NY | 8,456 | $161,908 | $979,873 | 72.0% |
| 15 | Kings Point, NY | 5,593 | $172,402 | $2,350,495 | 54.0% |
| 16 | Pleasantville, NY | 7,430 | $167,841 | $858,680 | 75.0% |
| 17 | Sea Cliff, NY | 5,062 | $181,375 | $956,983 | 59.0% |
| 18 | Wesley Hills, NY | 6,123 | $147,408 | $937,865 | 66.0% |
| 19 | Harrison, NY | 28,721 | $151,038 | $1,124,534 | 59.0% |
| 20 | Dobbs Ferry, NY | 11,431 | $144,000 | $860,831 | 67.0% |
| 21 | Rockville Centre, NY | 25,784 | $147,361 | $856,286 | 62.0% |
| 22 | Great Neck, NY | 11,060 | $128,457 | $1,274,040 | 59.0% |
| 23 | Floral Park, NY | 15,892 | $153,659 | $769,798 | 61.0% |
| 24 | Croton-On-Hudson, NY | 8,237 | $166,087 | $692,679 | 69.0% |
| 25 | Northport, NY | 7,337 | $137,487 | $760,930 | 62.0% |
| 26 | Malverne, NY | 8,526 | $158,333 | $684,440 | 61.0% |
| 27 | Williston Park, NY | 7,543 | $145,956 | $781,485 | 51.0% |
| 28 | Mamaroneck, NY | 19,930 | $121,672 | $846,875 | 53.0% |
| 29 | Port Jefferson, NY | 7,990 | $134,230 | $676,622 | 64.0% |
| 30 | New Hyde Park, NY | 10,235 | $144,375 | $837,167 | 48.0% |
| 31 | Bayville, NY | 6,763 | $136,346 | $719,065 | 53.0% |
| 32 | Cedarhurst, NY | 7,307 | $102,561 | $1,014,899 | 48.0% |
| 33 | Massapequa Park, NY | 17,045 | $161,193 | $676,157 | 50.0% |
| 34 | Mineola, NY | 20,940 | $130,111 | $709,636 | 52.0% |
| 35 | Long Beach, NY | 34,734 | $125,974 | $741,005 | 51.0% |
| 36 | New Hempstead, NY | 5,449 | $119,875 | $783,851 | 48.0% |
| 37 | White Plains, NY | 59,421 | $109,551 | $695,239 | 53.0% |
| 38 | Babylon, NY | 12,185 | $136,875 | $654,830 | 50.0% |
| 39 | New Rochelle, NY | 80,828 | $100,542 | $807,345 | 47.0% |
| 40 | Nyack, NY | 7,057 | $97,013 | $701,755 | 58.0% |
| 41 | Farmingdale, NY | 8,428 | $127,059 | $606,719 | 51.0% |
| 42 | Lynbrook, NY | 20,299 | $139,266 | $646,702 | 46.0% |
| 43 | Westbury, NY | 15,788 | $125,976 | $656,547 | 47.0% |
| 44 | Mount Kisco, NY | 10,835 | $99,444 | $623,471 | 52.0% |
| 45 | Great Neck Plaza, NY | 7,443 | $97,022 | $461,075 | 69.0% |
| 46 | Manorhaven, NY | 6,929 | $95,493 | $765,121 | 47.0% |
| 47 | Saratoga Springs, NY | 28,505 | $97,241 | $532,060 | 59.0% |
| 48 | East Rockaway, NY | 10,070 | $115,701 | $653,020 | 46.0% |
| 49 | Lake Grove, NY | 11,066 | $114,381 | $628,854 | 47.0% |
| 50 | Sleepy Hollow, NY | 10,396 | $98,580 | $897,889 | 39.0% |
| 51 | Chestnut Ridge, NY | 10,339 | $106,918 | $732,843 | 40.0% |
| 52 | Airmont, NY | 10,020 | $101,612 | $782,472 | 36.0% |
| 53 | Valley Stream, NY | 40,288 | $122,048 | $655,780 | 39.0% |
| 54 | Elmsford, NY | 5,192 | $120,301 | $591,257 | 39.0% |
| 55 | Williamsville, NY | 5,411 | $93,730 | $364,883 | 61.0% |
| 56 | Glen Cove, NY | 28,132 | $91,372 | $703,932 | 41.0% |
| 57 | East Aurora, NY | 5,996 | $95,216 | $385,855 | 55.0% |
| 58 | Fairport, NY | 5,442 | $95,354 | $335,276 | 60.0% |
| 59 | Monroe, NY | 9,420 | $115,451 | $501,501 | 40.0% |
| 60 | New York, NY | 8,622,467 | $76,607 | $733,006 | 40.0% |
| 61 | Suffern, NY | 11,376 | $94,688 | $491,644 | 47.0% |
| 62 | New Paltz, NY | 7,732 | $59,779 | $391,808 | 72.0% |
| 63 | Ossining, NY | 27,076 | $99,678 | $504,426 | 40.0% |
| 64 | Beacon, NY | 13,876 | $96,891 | $477,592 | 45.0% |
| 65 | Amityville, NY | 9,507 | $96,496 | $510,280 | 40.0% |
| 66 | Warwick, NY | 6,653 | $85,736 | $519,919 | 43.0% |
| 67 | Patchogue, NY | 12,343 | $99,271 | $508,629 | 37.0% |
| 68 | Lindenhurst, NY | 27,139 | $115,967 | $520,461 | 30.0% |
| 69 | Port Chester, NY | 31,288 | $92,116 | $609,851 | 34.0% |
| 70 | Goshen, NY | 5,736 | $93,679 | $499,691 | 39.0% |
| 71 | Hamburg, NY | 9,749 | $93,942 | $260,812 | 48.0% |
| 72 | Washingtonville, NY | 5,733 | $101,146 | $454,392 | 33.0% |
| 73 | Yonkers, NY | 209,780 | $78,208 | $616,101 | 36.0% |
| 74 | Freeport, NY | 44,210 | $109,390 | $552,986 | 26.0% |
| 75 | Ballston Spa, NY | 5,288 | $78,136 | $364,302 | 42.0% |
| 76 | Peekskill, NY | 25,401 | $86,695 | $444,855 | 37.0% |
| 77 | Colonie, NY | 7,767 | $100,093 | $292,148 | 35.0% |
| 78 | Mount Vernon, NY | 72,817 | $75,511 | $522,617 | 33.0% |
| 79 | Ithaca, NY | 31,359 | $45,468 | $382,030 | 70.0% |
| 80 | Webster, NY | 5,725 | $63,833 | $327,162 | 40.0% |
| 81 | Baldwinsville, NY | 7,746 | $78,471 | $267,659 | 38.0% |
| 82 | Kenmore, NY | 15,155 | $74,571 | $210,511 | 45.0% |
| 83 | Oneonta, NY | 14,097 | $62,188 | $201,322 | 49.0% |
| 84 | Saranac Lake, NY | 5,079 | $58,197 | $313,198 | 39.0% |
| 85 | Haverstraw, NY | 12,286 | $77,254 | $390,705 | 25.0% |
| 86 | Walden, NY | 6,861 | $76,724 | $364,347 | 26.0% |
| 87 | Albany, NY | 99,692 | $54,736 | $281,271 | 43.0% |
| 88 | West Haverstraw, NY | 10,649 | $81,795 | $376,904 | 24.0% |
| 89 | Hilton, NY | 5,998 | $75,098 | $256,283 | 32.0% |
| 90 | Canandaigua, NY | 10,562 | $59,144 | $250,446 | 39.0% |
| 91 | Canton, NY | 7,245 | $57,639 | $181,207 | 48.0% |
| 92 | Scotia, NY | 7,292 | $66,736 | $214,828 | 37.0% |
| 93 | Hempstead, NY | 58,557 | $80,350 | $515,919 | 17.0% |
| 94 | Rensselaer, NY | 9,252 | $68,284 | $267,993 | 28.0% |
| 95 | Kingston, NY | 24,018 | $62,071 | $291,912 | 28.0% |
| 96 | Cohoes, NY | 17,960 | $62,679 | $286,531 | 27.0% |
| 97 | Plattsburgh, NY | 19,907 | $55,049 | $217,419 | 40.0% |
| 98 | North Tonawanda, NY | 30,479 | $66,836 | $244,331 | 28.0% |
| 99 | Corning, NY | 10,685 | $59,453 | $167,867 | 45.0% |
| 100 | Glens Falls, NY | 14,743 | $64,731 | $230,775 | 30.0% |
I feel like poor Natalie G googled Whit Plains and read about the Westchester Mall or the Ritz Carlton. People living in Westchester County are laughing! Please do your research. I’m embarrassed for you. Perhaps you take a lovely walking tour of the galleria mall, the white plains mall, the numerous housing projects & tough neighborhoods,look at crime statistics, school rankings etc.
this is wrong. you need to get your shit straight ASAP. Especially if you want to make it as a journalist
Totally wrong. Sands Point, East Hampton, Montauk, Manhasset, Old Westbury, Brookville, just to name a few that aren’t on the list. and how is Manhattan not on here? Places in Queens?
How did Miller Place NOT make this list?! I mean, going on serious superiority complexes, alone, MP should rate the top five! Then add in all the goodies you can find when you search hard enough under that figuratively giant, stained, filthy, mythological, rug. Yes, “THAT” rug that the school district and community “politics” have been sweeping their *oopsies*, *it-never-happened’s*, and *oh. did i do that?’s* under for who knows how long now.
So you know, no hard feelings, we know now that you’re aware of your mistake of leaving Miller Place off the list. And, of course, we will gladly accept our humble place at #2, smack dab in the middle of the top #3. And we sympathize with the now former #2 and those all that will now trickle down a position, as it’s not your fault that the author is not truly educated in the area they chose to write in. As for former #10, who will now fall from the list to #11, you may have had the snob going but you have to work a bit on your superiority…you see? Like we just did. Miller Place for life, loves it! Later, Bitches!.
**gives a Paris Hilton like smirk/duck lips, does sexy pose that goes into a great, dramatic flip of her long blond weave asshe turns to walk away, but not before turning back just once with a giggle, a smirk and a twinkle of a goodbye with a wave of her hand and finally walks away, dramatic exit and stolen spot on a list on a random website. because you gotta give it to her, she takes what she wants, simply because, period. end of story. see ya never, bitches.**
I cry foul. NYC is the highest housing cost, highest income, lots of art galleries and theaters, etc. Moreover, their radio stations and my wife boldly boast that it is “the greatest city in the world! If that’s not enough to put it at #1, then consider the snobby borough provincialism of “B&T” and the pecking order of trendy neighborhoods.
No Wantagh??????
Sorry, Betsy, but Wantagh did not make the snobby list. Maybe next year.
Or really! How about the Hamptons?
what about Brentwood! Geez where did you come up with this?
I’m sorry but this list is pretty bad. Rockville Centre and Massapequa are not snobby towns at all. The fact that Hewlett (Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Hewlett Bay Park), Woodmere (Woodsburgh), Great Neck, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Roslyn aren’t on here is insane. Garden City is far less snobby than any of these towns and yet it is number 1 on the list? Not sure where you got your research from but there’s no reason to call these towns snobby if you haven’t even visited them before.
As a lifelong resident of Saratoga Springs I take offence to your placing Saratoga on this list. As a Veteran I have traveled the globe and although Saratoga is a unique and special place it is not the residents but the guests we have flood in from around the world that give it a stain. I understand you have a rite to your opinion but there is no place else in the world I would rather be.
The criteria used are just as baffling as they are stupid!
Since when is having a college degree snobbish? Plus, the wealthiest communities are so private and residential, they don’t have a lot of schools, theatres, galleries, etc.
Why not consider the number of private country clubs per capita? Or better yet, private country club members. At least limit the college degree criteria to like “Ivy League” degrees.
Garden City should make it on a list for the Biggest A’Holes. There is a tremendous sense of entitlement from the residents and a large number of the residents are simply rude and dumb. The properties are so small and the taxes are off the charts. Most of the women have very straight blonde hair no matter how ridiculous it looks on them and the men have yet to give up the preppy look. The mansions are loaded with multiple people, I guess so they can afford the house. The restaurants suck. Stewart Avenue is like the LIE, yet these nuts with young kids live on that street. Also, it is loaded with these hideous McMansions. It seems the younger couples have absolutely no taste and feel the bigger the better. You can keep Garden City!
Envy is a terrible sin.
As the Garden City residents age, hopefully they will get their priorities straight.
I recently met an older gentleman, who was driving the most beautiful Mercedes I have ever seen. I complimented his car and he replied, very sincerely, if you don’t have your health, you have nothing. This man had his priorities straight.
Wait what? Art galleries? Culture? Im pretty sure Garden City, Kansas has more culture than GC, NY. Medium income 141k and the library is a literally(<pun)a joke. St. Pauls a victorian gothic from 1879 laid to waste because its economically not worth repairing. Yeah, they really care about culture.
Again, whoever wrote this, got it soooo wrong. It’s like the article that said Queens, NY, is the most beautiful place to visit. haha.
While it’s right that Long Island is so strongly represented, the towns listed, order in which they rank, and “reasoning” provided display a complete lack of research or knowledge. Our collective attention and commentary on this “article” indicates that it was a success anyway.
The exclusion of the Hamptons, however, makes sense as the true snobs that may be encountered there are rarely full-time residents.
What happened to Locust Valley. They talk in Locust Valley lockjaw and are as exclusive a town as ever.
Billy Joel and Mariah Carey are not from Huntington. Joel hails from Massapequa, Carey, like Rosie O’Donnell, from Comack
U forgot Fisher’s Island. Worst by far!
The photo used to show “New City” is NOT actually New City, NY. It is Westfield NJ. New City is far from snobby. Sorry. You are a poor writer.
When did New York only include the bottom section of the state?