Study: These are the Ten Worst ‘Small Cities’ in Upstate NY, Which is No. 1?

Earlier this week, we learned that a WalletHub study had named Saratoga Springs, NY as one of the best "small cities" in the United States. More specifically, it was ranked ninth-best, and earned high marks in specific categories like quality of life and health and education.

After learning of the good news about Saratoga Springs, we dug into this study a bit ore, and took a look at the Upstate New York cities that were considered some of the worst in the state.

As a general statement, we can say this: Upstate New York cities are solid places to live and raise a family.

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To quickly review the rules of this study, each city was examined through the lens of 45 key indicators of livability, and was assigned a numeric score based on the research that was done. In order to qualify, a city must have between 25,000 and 100,000 residents.

So, for example, the lowest-ranked Upstate city was Elmira, which finished with a "final score" of 53.66 in this study. That finished in the 24th percentile of cities in the country, meaning that it was ranked higher than nearly one-quarter of all small cities in America. Comparatively speaking, Bessemer, AL finished as the "worst" small city in America, with a score of 37.02.

With all of that being said, here are the ten "small cities" that were ranked the lowest in the Empire State, based on data from WalletHub's recent study.