Some of the Least Accessible Cities in America Are Here in New York

New York likes to pride itself for its progressive agenda, but it sure has a long way to go when it comes to its accessibility.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says roughly 29% of American adults have a disability. These adults could face extreme physical and economic challenges depending on the severity of their disability; whether it be developmental or physical.

A recent estimate of Social Security disability benefits found that the average recipient receives an average monthly allowance of $1,402. That amounts of an annual benefit of $16,832.

Two reports of the nation's most and least accessible cities didn't have great things to say about the Empire State.

This means the state is not the most welcoming to those with disabilities that may impede their ability to work, travel, and conduct basic necessities.

Additionally, New York's high cost of living negatively impacts this demographic by taking more from their disability benefits.

The first study to earmark New York's poor performance was Forbes Health, which determined New York is home to the 5th least accessible city in the nation.  That would be New York City.

Forbes panned the Big Apple for having old buildings that are not equipped to comfortably house those with disabilities, like those in wheelchairs.

What helped NYC not claim the top spot was that it "has the 10th highest number of wheelchair-accessible attractions per capita."  But when it comes to ease of movement, finances, and ADA compliant places to live; the city falls short.

Read More: One of America's "Richest" Cities Is in New York and It's Not NYC

The second study came from WalletHub, which compared the 180 largest cities in the nation on employment levels, cost of living, health care, and overall quality of life for those living with disabilities.

Yonkers ranked #17 best in the roundup, scoring fairly well in the economy and quality of life categories. The city respectively placed 23rd and 35th best in the nation.

Buffalo and Rochester performed decently, ranking 28th and 29th, respectively. However, it appeared both were saved due to a high performance in the "quality of life" category.

Buffalo ranked 21st best while Rochester ranked 7th overall. Both performed poorly in the economy and health care categories. Buffalo earned 88th and 73rd place in the respective categories while Rochester was 111th and 99th.

Both cities were found to have the 2nd and fourth-highest percentages of people with disabilities living in poverty. Rochester was only beaten out by Cleveland, Ohio, while Buffalo placed just ahead of fifth-place Huntington, West Virginia.

New York City did not do as well and ranked as the 76th best city for those with disabilities. The Big Apple ranked 132nd in the economy category and was found to be the city with the highest cost of living for those with disabilities.

When it came to quality of life, NYC ranked 36th best, probably buoyed by the fact its the city with the 4th-highest percentage of its population with walkable park access.

The city also placed 89th in health care.

Check out the interactive map to see how other cities fared in the study.

For those curious which city ranked #1, that would be Scottsdale, Arizona.

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