LeRay, New York, a town adjacent to the Fort Drum military installation, has been identified as one of the least livable places in the United States. The designation comes from AARP's Livability Index, which scored LeRay with a 38 out of 100, placing it among the bottom 10 zip codes nationwide and well below the national average of 50.
Unlike many other communities on the AARP list that struggle with low housing prices and declining job markets, LeRay's primary issue is the high cost of housing relative to its residents' earnings. The average monthly housing cost in LeRay is $1,489, which is approximately 67 percent higher than the median of $890 for the comparison group.
Analysts suggest that the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), a government stipend for military service members, plays a significant role in inflating local rental prices. Landlords in areas surrounding large military bases often set rents based on the BAH, which can exceed what civilian residents can afford.
Fort Drum's on-post housing is privatized and managed by Winn Companies, while off-post rental listings near the base indicate a market that has largely adapted to military pay scales. Two and three-bedroom units can rent for prices ranging from $1,200 to nearly $1,950 per month.
Beyond housing costs, LeRay also faces significant water quality concerns. According to the AARP index, 32.1 percent of the town's 25,736 residents are exposed to drinking water violations. This combination of elevated housing costs and water issues sets LeRay apart from other communities on the AARP list that may struggle with one challenge but not the other.
LeRay's score for civic engagement was also notably low, coming in at just six out of 100, which is among the lowest recorded for any community measured by the index.
While relocation guides sometimes describe the Fort Drum and Watertown region as reasonably priced compared to the high cost of living in New York State, AARP's findings indicate that against national or rural benchmarks, LeRay presents affordability challenges. The town's score of 38 ties it with Pahrump, Nevada, for the fourth-worst score among mid-sized communities nationally.