Best PlacesFirst Ward, Binghamton, NY Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around First Ward, Binghamton, 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.
First Ward, Binghamton ranks 4,432nd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on short commutes by a wide margin, and property taxes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in First Ward, Binghamton
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.
First Ward, Binghamton's strengths and weaknesses
Where First Ward, Binghamton ranks high
- Short commute15.6 minutes each way, better than 97% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than 81% of neighborhoods
Where First Ward, Binghamton ranks low
- Low property taxBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 11% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Household income$48,584 median, better than only 14% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in First Ward, Binghamton
A household needs to earn about $36,000 a year to comfortably buy the median First Ward, Binghamton home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $48,584, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
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 First Ward, Binghamton's effective rate of 2.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in First Ward, Binghamton
First Ward, Binghamton 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 First Ward, Binghamton.
Who works in First Ward, Binghamton, and how
Work in First Ward, Binghamton centers on education and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 17%
Life in First Ward, Binghamton
First Ward, Binghamton has more parkland per resident than 85% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of First Ward, Binghamton and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in First Ward, Binghamton, month by month
First Ward, Binghamton sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 82 degrees. January highs sit near 33, with lows near 17. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 25° | 17° |
| April | 58° | 45° | 34° |
| July | 82° | 70° | 60° |
| October | 62° | 51° | 42° |
Flying in and out of First Ward, Binghamton
The nearest airport, Greater Binghamton/Edwin A Link Field, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Newark Liberty International, about 134 miles away.
The best schools in and around First Ward, Binghamton
Schools across First Ward, Binghamton average a B−, better than 68% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Thomas Jefferson SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Theodore Roosevelt SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Horace Mann SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- West Middle SchoolD · 24% proficient
- East Middle SchoolF · 9% proficient
Top high schools
- Binghamton High SchoolA · 76% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every First Ward, Binghamton school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
First Ward, Binghamton 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 First Ward, Binghamton against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in First Ward, Binghamton
Is First Ward, Binghamton a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, First Ward, Binghamton ranks 4,432nd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on short commutes, fast internet, and clean air, and lowest on property taxes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is First Ward, Binghamton expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $111,500. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $48,584 median income, cost of living beats 18% of neighborhoods.
Is First Ward, Binghamton safe?
First Ward, Binghamton is safer than 30% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $618 per resident a year.
Compare First Ward, Binghamton with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to First Ward, Binghamton. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in First Ward, Binghamton 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.
First Ward, Binghamton detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for First Ward, Binghamton: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in First Ward, Binghamton: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of First Ward, Binghamton: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in First Ward, Binghamton: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
First Ward, Binghamton 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.