Nassau claims 11 of America’s 50 Best Places to Raise a Family

If you’re raising a family on Long Island, the numbers say Nassau County is hard to beat.

Niche’s 2026 Best Places to Raise a Family rankings make the case plainly.

Two Nassau communities landed in the nation’s top 10: Kensington at No. 3 and Syosset at No. 6. Manhasset followed at No. 18 and Munsey Park at No. 19, giving Nassau four communities in America’s top 20 — a concentration unmatched by any other county in New York state.

The county’s presence in Niche’s annual ranking only deepened from there.

Lake Success ranked No. 26 nationally, East Williston No. 29, East Hills No. 32, Searingtown No. 35, Garden City No. 39, Thomaston No. 42, and Plainview No. 44 Plandome Heights at No. 46 pushed Nassau’s total to 12 communities in America’s top 50.

Niche posted the rankings Friday on its website. The Best Places to Raise a Family rankings are part of Niche’s broader Best Places to Live in America 2026 report, which evaluates thousands of communities across the country across multiple categories.

Niche says its uses a combination of federal and local data — including public school quality, crime rates, and housing trends — along with millions of resident reviews to determine its rankings.

Each the top 20 Long Island communities in the best places to raise a family category are in Nassau. Suffolk’s highest finisher, Stony Brook, fell just outside the Long Island top 20.

20 Best Places to Raise a Family on Long Island

LI Rank	Place	New York	U.S.	County
1	Kensington	1	3	Nassau
2	Syosset	2	6	Nassau
3	Manhasset	3	18	Nassau
4	Munsey Park	4	19	Nassau
5	Lake Success	6	26	Nassau
6	East Williston	7	29	Nassau
7	East Hills	8	32	Nassau
8	Searingtown	10	35	Nassau
9	Garden City	11	39	Nassau
10	Thomaston	13	42	Nassau
11	Plainview	14	44	Nassau
12	Plandome Heights	15	46	Nassau
13	Roslyn Heights	17	—	Nassau
14	Russell Gardens	18	—	Nassau
15	Plandome	19	—	Nassau
16	Jericho	20	—	Nassau
17	Great Neck Plaza	22	—	Nassau
18	Kings Point	23	—	Nassau
19	Muttontown	25	—	Nassau
20	Great Neck Gardens	26	—	Nassau

_{Top: GLI file photo}