Best PlacesDowntown Syracuse, Syracuse, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse ranks 4,270th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse's strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse ranks high
- Short commute14.4 minutes each way, better than 98% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
A household needs to earn about $94,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $54,726, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse's effective rate of 2.24%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse.
Who works in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse, and how
Work in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse centers on education and professional & technical. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 42%
- Work from home 19%
- Transit, walk, or bike 38%
Life in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse has more restaurants and bars per resident than 96% of neighborhoods and more late-night spots per resident than 91% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse, month by month
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 36, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 27° | 18° |
| April | 60° | 47° | 36° |
| July | 87° | 74° | 63° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
The nearest airport, Syracuse Hancock International, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 192 miles away.
The best schools in and around Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
Schools across Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse average a B, better than 80% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Syracuse Latin SchoolA− · 56% proficient
Top middle schools
- Expeditionary Learning Middle SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- Institute Of Technology At Syracuse CentralA+ · 85% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse
Is Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse ranks 4,270th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, low disaster risk, and a strong job market, and lowest on an overheated housing market and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $300,000. The overall cost of living runs about 0% above the national average. Set against a $54,726 median income, cost of living beats 23% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse safe?
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse is safer than 2% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,252 per resident a year.
Compare Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Syracuse, Syracuse detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.