Areas in the North east for rentals & data sets to use

[Tatenda Mpofu]

Hi all, I am 25, work in New York and am looking to invest in my first rental property (probably out of state). I am fairly new to real estate investing but have been reading book after book and believe rental real estate is my sweet spot. I am looking to move some of my liquid assets (20-25K) to a long-term, higher-yielding asset class with tax advantages.

What do you all think are good rental markets (preferably in the North East) that are within a train/short plane ride from New York so that I am within travel distance within my budget? I've read that proximity to a large town/job sites, good school districts, low crime rates and reasonable rental rates are the sweet spot for rental properties so that sort of region is what I am looking for. 

I am a fairly data-driven guy, what datasets or publications can help me confirm that certain areas are better than others?

This is my first post - am looking forward to taking advantage of this forum's collective wisdom!

Looking forward to all your responses!