Although every hard-working father (or father figure) in our life deserves some love, we want to show a little extra to the hard-working single dads all across New York State. 

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Although being a dad can be incredibly rewarding, it’s also challenging - especially if you’re juggling it all without a partner to help.

If you’re a single dad, a huge chunk (or sometimes all) of the responsibility of raising your kid lies on you. Fatherhood without a supportive co-parent, family, friends, and/or community network can be overwhelming to do alone. 

Which Cities In New York State Are The Best For Single Dads?

According to the company LawnStarter, some cities set single dads up for success better than others. 

They analyzed 200 large metros in the US, looking at different metrics like affordability, safety, available child care, community support, quality education, and health care. 

Their list named five cities in New York State that measured up to be great places for single dads to consider raising their kids. One city in Western New York stood out from the rest. 

Syracuse Is The Best City For Single Dads In New York State

According to LawnStarter’s list, Syracuse is the top city in 2023 for single dads in all of Upstate New York, ranking number 30 out of 200 cities. 

Syracuse managed to edge out other Upstate cities thanks to metrics like:

• Overall Score  - 49.10
• Work-Life Balance - 6th 
• Health and Education - 46th

Which Other Upstate NY Cities Are Good For Single Dads?

In total, three spots in Upstate New York were declared great places for a single dad to raise their kids. The other cities that made the list are:

Yonkers, New York

Situated along the Hudson River in Westchester county, Yonkers has a fantastic ranking when it child care, bumping the area to the #38 spot on LawnStarter’s Best Cities For Single Dads.

Buffalo, New York

Behind the Salt City on LawnStarter’s list was the “City Of Good Neighbors,” Buffalo, New York, at #40. 

Although not rated quite as high as Syracuse in some areas, Buffalo was ranked the most affordable of the three upstate New York cities that made the list. 

Rochester, New York

Not too far behind Buffalo, Rochester, #47 on the list, did the best out of all three cities for “Home and Outdoors” with a #24 ranking out of all 200 cities nationally. 

New York, New York

Taking the final spot on the list of New York State’s Best Cities for Single Dads, the most famous city in the Empire State, New York City (aka “city that never sleeps)” sits at #55. 

Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester Are All Great For Work-Life Balance

If one of your priorities as a single parent is maintaining a good work-life balance for yourself and your family, you’ll be happy no matter where you live Upstate. 

Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo all landed within the top 20 in that category on LawnStarter’s ranking of the nation’s best cities for single dads (#6, #8, and #17, respectively). 

Single Dads - wherever you reside here in New York, we salute you!

You can check out the full list of Lawnstarter’s Best Cities for Single Dads here.