The 'Least-Friendly' State In America Is One Of The Most-Visited By Tourists

For all the ways New York fulfills the state motto, "Excelsior" — in business, finance, art, culture, fashion, media, and so much more — it still struggles in politeness. At least, that's according to the 2024 list of friendliest states by the World Population Review, which ranked New York dead last.

This isn't the first time New York has been dinged for its famously hard faces, blunt words, and de facto commandment to "move fast or get out of the way." A 2022 survey by Insider and SurveyMonkey and another conducted by Travel + Leisure in 2015 both came to similar conclusions. Nevertheless, the "mean streets" haven't stopped tourists from taking their bite out of the Big Apple. In fact, New York receives more visitors than almost any other place in the United States, and even more so for international visits, where it ranks number one.

This is because New York City offers a tourist experience like no other place in the world. In fact, it puts the whole world in visitors' hands thanks to the demographics that make it the most diverse city on the planet. This is why it's also called the world's capital, a fact underscored by the United Nations headquarters being located on First Avenue. This same melting pot has also put the city at the forefront of nearly every industry, from finance and fashion to art and media, truly offering something for everyone. Plus, the New York attitude is part of the package, as essential to the city's DNA as the Hudson River, Empire State Building, and bagels with a schmear. 

While polls and surveys routinely peg New Yorkers as rude — and with ample evidence — they are generally based on misperceptions, unfair comparisons, and a lack of context. New York City is a demanding place to live, and it won't take long for anyone stuffing into subway cars, skipping rats on the street, inhaling malodors, and paying the highest rents in the country to undergo a New York attitude adjustment. Surviving means maintaining your focus and moving fast, and politeness takes a back seat to that — if it's not tied up and tossed in the trunk. As one Redditor put it, "They don't have time for idle bull—-. They're at max bandwidth capacity as it is; overstimulated, overcrowded, overcharged, and overextended."

It's also important to separate New York City from New York state, especially as "New York" implies the city to most. Certainly, given the metropolis' global fame, this is understandable. The data also backs this perception up, with the city accounting for 25% of all visits to the state and 64% of the dollars. But the area outside of the city contains so much more than many are aware of, and it's no wonder that the farther you get from the noise, density, and intensity of New York City and into the more rural and small-town landscape of "upstate," the friendlier people tend to get. This includes overlooked small towns that are the most beautiful in New York, like this hippie town in the Hudson Valley with a European-style shopping street and artsy vibes and this beauty on the shores of Lake Ontario.