US News & World Report, presented a report on the best places to live in 2023-2024 in the United States. The new list ranks the 150 most populous metropolitan areas in the country based on value, convenience, job market and quality of life.
Based on the results, Green Bay, Wisconsin, moved up two spots to No. 1 due to its strong value and quality of life scores, relegating Huntsville, Alabama to No. 2.
Two areas climbed back into the top 10 this year. At No. 8, Charlotte, North Carolina, moved up 20 spots to re-enter for the first time in three years, helped by a higher desirability score. Naples, Florida re-entered the top 10 at #6, after falling last year, due to higher convenience and quality of life scores.
“This year’s rankings are a reflection of the current economic, social and natural factors that affect a place’s livability for its residents,” said Devon Thorsby, US News real estate editor.
“People are looking at more than just a home when they look at the affordability of an area – they want to know how much property in that area costs. The ever-present risk of severe weather and a community’s resilience, along with the area’s opportunities for social activities are also taken into account when evaluating the best place to live,” Thorsby added.
This year, US News expanded its data points to better encapsulate a location’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition to a survey to determine whether people want to live in a given metropolitan area, the desirability index now includes climate temperature, which measures the number of days per year when the temperature falls between 33 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit, and the establishment to population ratio, which evaluates the number of restaurants, bars and activities per 1,000 inhabitants.
Additionally, as economic fluctuations and the implications of inflation continue to affect the cost of living across the country, the value index, which previously focused solely on home affordability, now takes into account price parity, a US census data point on the overall cost of goods within an area.
The 10 best places to live in the US:
1. Green Bay, WI (Score: 6.9)
2. Huntsville, AL (6.9)
3. Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina (6.9)
4. Boulder, Colo. (6.8)
5. Sarasota, Fla. (6.8)
6. Naples, Florida (6.8)
7. Portland, United States (6.7)
8.Charlotte, N.C. (6.7)
9. Colorado Springs, Colo. (6.7)
10. Fayetteville, AR (6.7)
To see the details of the report and methodology, enter here.
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