Wyoming County

Wyoming County, NY sits at a median home price of $214,905 with 5.6% year-over-year appreciation, landing it in the 93rd percentile nationally and second in New York State out of 62 counties scored. That appreciation score of 88 out of 100 tells the real story here: this is a market rewarding buyers who think in years, not months. The cash flow score is zero, which means the rent-to-price math does not pencil for a landlord expecting day-one surplus. Without rent and cap rate figures in the dataset, no yield number can be responsibly quoted, but the structure of the scores makes clear this county sits firmly on the appreciation end of the spectrum, where price gains carry the investor thesis rather than monthly income.

The investor profile this market fits is an appreciation buyer with patient capital and a long hold horizon, or a primary-market refugee parking equity in a county that has demonstrated consistent price momentum at a sub-$215,000 entry point. At an affordability index of 84, Wyoming is meaningfully more accessible than most New York counties, which matters for sustained demand from owner-occupant buyers who ultimately drive resale prices. A cash-flow operator looking for gross yield to cover debt service and expenses should look elsewhere in this dataset: the cash flow score of zero is a hard signal that rent levels relative to purchase prices do not support a conventional income strategy at current rates. A value-add operator could find opportunity here if basis can be driven below the county median through distressed acquisitions, but that thesis depends on execution, not market tailwinds.

On the carry cost side, the 1.72% state-average effective property tax rate is a real underwriting consideration that deserves its own line on your pro forma. At a $214,905 purchase price, annual property tax comes to approximately $3,696, and when combined with an estimated $516 in annual insurance, the monthly tax-and-insurance load runs $351. That figure consumes a meaningful share of any rent dollar collected before debt service, maintenance, or management fees are touched. The note accompanying this data is worth taking seriously: 1.72% is a state-average estimate derived from Tax Foundation 2024 figures, and actual county and township rates in Wyoming County may differ materially. New York's property tax structure is locally administered and varies considerably at the municipal level, so pulling the actual assessed rate for any specific parcel before finalizing an underwrite is essential, not optional.

The stability score of 50 is the other number that demands attention. At the midpoint of the scale, it signals meaningful uncertainty around rental demand consistency, population trends, or economic concentration, though the dataset does not include economic anchor or employer data for Wyoming County, so no specific driver can be named. What the score does suggest is that an investor should treat Wyoming County as a market with real upside on appreciation but not a safe harbor for income stability. Population of roughly 40,000 also means thin liquidity: exit options when you need to sell depend on a relatively small buyer pool, and days on market can stretch in softer periods even when the county-level trend is positive.

Comparing Wyoming to its neighbors sharpens the decision. Broome County and Chemung County both post rent-to-price ratios above 0.091, with Chemung at $151,982 median and a 9.17% gross yield ratio, and Broome at $187,106 with a 9.11% ratio. Both score lower overall (73 and 76 respectively) but clearly outperform Wyoming on the cash-flow dimension. Cattaraugus County at $158,795 median and an 8.23% rent-to-price ratio offers a lower entry point with better yield optics. Oneida County, at $225,470 and a 7.84% ratio, matches Wyoming's overall score of 75 with a higher price and marginally better rent coverage. Seneca County lacks rent data for comparison. The case for choosing Wyoming over these neighbors rests almost entirely on the appreciation score of 88, which outpaces all of them, and on the 93rd-percentile national ranking that none of the neighbors appear to match. If your strategy is buy-and-hold for equity accumulation in a county with demonstrated price momentum and a sub-$215,000 entry, Wyoming County is the strongest option in this peer group. If you need rent to carry the property, Chemung or Broome will serve you better.