ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – Elmira, New York has been ranked number one for being one of the best hometowns in America based on a study conducted by All Star Home.
According to All Star Home, the top hometowns were determined based on four key rankings: community, affordable living, safety and education. The most important component was the community ranking, which was based on diversity by state, farmer’s markets in the vicinity, historical buildings and the average winning percentage of the area’s high school football teams.
In order to rank each hometown, the study analyzed the cities named in the 50 smallest TV designated market areas with a population of less than 100,000. Rankings were graded on a 100-point scale under the following four metrics:
- Community – 50 points overall
- Diversity by state – 20 points
- Historic buildings by city – 10 points
- Farmer’s markets within 30 miles – 10 points
- High school football winning percentage – 10 points
- Safety – 20 points
- Affordable living – 15 points
- Education – 15 points
When it came to overall score, Elmira received a 75 out of 100. A breakdown of the ratings includes a 43 for community score, 80.9 for safety, $109,766 in home value by city and a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.49.
In addition to Elmira ranking number one in the study, three other New York state cities take the leading spots on the top 10 list: Corning, Utica and Binghamton.
The following sources were utilized in order to conduct this study and determine rankings:
- FBI Crime Data Explorer
- Zillow Home Values
- National Center for Education Statistics
- U.S. Census Bureau
- National Park Service
- United States Department of Agriculture
The average high school football winning percentage is based on the 2022-2023 season or most recent data available.
For more information and to view statistics on this study, visit the All Star Home page.
