2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live: Ranking Data
- Methodology
- Ranking Criteria
- Ranking Data
What makes a great place to live and how do we decide that? For starters, we don’t decide.
You do.
We poll the nation each year to find out what matters most in communities throughout the U.S. Is health care most important, or affordable housing? Which matters more, commute times or climate? We then source the best public and private data available to find the small to mid-sized cities, towns and villages that meet your standards of a Best Place to Live.
This year, nearly 2,300 cities were ranked on more than 40 data points measuring economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care.
City | LivScore | Amenities | Civic | Demo. | Econ | Educat. | Health | Housing | Infrast. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ann Arbor | 694 | 82 | 86 | 51 | 64 | 89 | 77 | 58 | 45 |
Manhattan | 693 | 67 | 66 | 40 | 80 | 85 | 71 | 83 | 54 |
Corvallis | 689 | 70 | 80 | 36 | 71 | 77 | 78 | 72 | 59 |
Iowa City | 688 | 61 | 80 | 47 | 76 | 58 | 84 | 78 | 54 |
Charlottesville | 687 | 73 | 77 | 56 | 72 | 63 | 71 | 70 | 60 |
Palo Alto | 674 | 71 | 90 | 63 | 52 | 93 | 80 | 44 | 51 |
Madison | 674 | 65 | 74 | 46 | 74 | 69 | 85 | 61 | 56 |
Santa Cruz | 669 | 71 | 71 | 50 | 65 | 75 | 82 | 66 | 50 |
Bellevue | 666 | 63 | 79 | 66 | 53 | 78 | 74 | 62 | 62 |
Overland Park | 666 | 68 | 83 | 52 | 59 | 94 | 84 | 52 | 37 |
Rochester | 666 | 68 | 74 | 52 | 63 | 75 | 84 | 63 | 48 |
Cambridge | 665 | 60 | 72 | 65 | 73 | 82 | 82 | 40 | 56 |
Berkeley | 664 | 70 | 71 | 61 | 64 | 92 | 74 | 44 | 57 |
Fort Collins | 664 | 80 | 78 | 36 | 67 | 79 | 72 | 67 | 45 |
Irvine | 664 | 62 | 84 | 64 | 52 | 96 | 76 | 50 | 52 |
Boulder | 663 | 69 | 82 | 40 | 72 | 86 | 73 | 57 | 44 |
San Luis Obispo | 662 | 61 | 71 | 38 | 69 | 86 | 75 | 69 | 54 |
Davis | 661 | 55 | 83 | 52 | 72 | 83 | 79 | 55 | 44 |
Lincoln | 660 | 71 | 63 | 45 | 70 | 72 | 67 | 80 | 54 |
Evanston | 660 | 71 | 82 | 65 | 65 | 86 | 62 | 52 | 47 |
Columbia | 658 | 66 | 66 | 42 | 82 | 77 | 67 | 69 | 49 |
Chapel Hill | 656 | 60 | 85 | 48 | 74 | 79 | 73 | 55 | 45 |
Lawrence | 654 | 66 | 70 | 40 | 74 | 79 | 66 | 77 | 44 |
Burlington | 654 | 47 | 72 | 36 | 74 | 76 | 81 | 64 | 65 |
Pullman | 654 | 60 | 70 | 45 | 74 | 78 | 65 | 66 | 60 |
San Rafael | 653 | 71 | 64 | 63 | 69 | 69 | 78 | 56 | 46 |
Charleston | 653 | 72 | 74 | 44 | 70 | 82 | 65 | 64 | 46 |
Eugene | 652 | 80 | 67 | 39 | 67 | 77 | 59 | 75 | 54 |
San Mateo | 651 | 71 | 73 | 71 | 55 | 73 | 73 | 53 | 55 |
Santa Barbara | 651 | 78 | 63 | 59 | 67 | 80 | 70 | 46 | 57 |
Bloomington | 649 | 72 | 74 | 38 | 62 | 68 | 61 | 81 | 59 |
East Lansing | 647 | 54 | 81 | 43 | 60 | 86 | 46 | 79 | 70 |
Newton | 647 | 56 | 98 | 57 | 58 | 91 | 76 | 35 | 49 |
Pittsburgh | 647 | 79 | 60 | 48 | 70 | 73 | 69 | 52 | 63 |
Arlington | 643 | 74 | 79 | 62 | 51 | 82 | 75 | 51 | 42 |
Asheville | 643 | 64 | 62 | 54 | 66 | 72 | 59 | 72 | 65 |
Ithaca | 641 | 62 | 55 | 55 | 58 | 81 | 69 | 70 | 66 |
Gainesville | 641 | 56 | 69 | 45 | 67 | 79 | 59 | 75 | 61 |
Greenville | 639 | 67 | 56 | 55 | 71 | 70 | 54 | 78 | 55 |
Littleton | 637 | 69 | 77 | 49 | 64 | 80 | 53 | 70 | 44 |
Kirkland | 637 | 53 | 78 | 55 | 48 | 84 | 76 | 63 | 56 |
College Station | 637 | 53 | 80 | 48 | 73 | 76 | 62 | 62 | 50 |
Morgantown | 636 | 74 | 57 | 36 | 62 | 74 | 65 | 78 | 59 |
Brookline | 636 | 51 | 91 | 54 | 62 | 93 | 69 | 40 | 50 |
Boca Raton | 633 | 63 | 82 | 62 | 58 | 89 | 58 | 46 | 53 |
Downers Grove | 632 | 57 | 88 | 43 | 54 | 79 | 75 | 61 | 45 |
Scottsdale | 631 | 76 | 83 | 46 | 61 | 86 | 68 | 38 | 46 |
Wheaton | 631 | 62 | 94 | 45 | 57 | 81 | 64 | 53 | 47 |
Ashland | 630 | 58 | 66 | 37 | 69 | 80 | 62 | 74 | 53 |
Lexington | 628 | 77 | 59 | 44 | 65 | 79 | 64 | 58 | 54 |
Ames | 627 | 51 | 81 | 40 | 63 | 77 | 66 | 70 | 48 |
Alameda | 627 | 59 | 67 | 71 | 56 | 78 | 71 | 47 | 55 |
State College | 627 | 67 | 59 | 49 | 62 | 62 | 66 | 71 | 63 |
West Lafayette | 626 | 59 | 63 | 47 | 63 | 75 | 51 | 85 | 57 |
Moscow | 624 | 72 | 66 | 31 | 62 | 77 | 67 | 61 | 58 |
Johnson City | 623 | 58 | 62 | 34 | 81 | 77 | 55 | 77 | 43 |
Walnut Creek | 622 | 60 | 81 | 60 | 58 | 64 | 77 | 47 | 48 |
Edina | 622 | 55 | 91 | 50 | 59 | 65 | 75 | 50 | 48 |
Missoula | 622 | 70 | 51 | 25 | 70 | 69 | 70 | 74 | 59 |
Tallahassee | 622 | 76 | 62 | 44 | 62 | 81 | 49 | 72 | 49 |
Olympia | 622 | 55 | 67 | 46 | 57 | 79 | 69 | 76 | 44 |
Elmhurst | 620 | 53 | 92 | 40 | 46 | 83 | 75 | 61 | 44 |
Blacksburg | 620 | 56 | 70 | 35 | 61 | 86 | 61 | 68 | 57 |
Sioux Falls | 619 | 73 | 39 | 47 | 73 | 69 | 69 | 72 | 47 |
Redwood City | 619 | 62 | 53 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 76 | 56 | 57 |
Santa Monica | 619 | 54 | 72 | 59 | 60 | 89 | 69 | 37 | 60 |
West Hartford | 619 | 70 | 85 | 55 | 67 | 81 | 58 | 46 | 32 |
Coral Gables | 619 | 54 | 79 | 62 | 62 | 73 | 62 | 52 | 50 |
Laramie | 618 | 64 | 69 | 27 | 62 | 71 | 50 | 83 | 64 |
Burlingame | 618 | 64 | 64 | 58 | 71 | 63 | 75 | 41 | 53 |
Champaign | 618 | 66 | 71 | 55 | 56 | 73 | 47 | 73 | 55 |
Pasadena | 618 | 67 | 59 | 73 | 62 | 64 | 56 | 58 | 58 |
Bellingham | 617 | 68 | 45 | 37 | 56 | 73 | 68 | 76 | 67 |
Oxford | 615 | 48 | 59 | 34 | 77 | 73 | 42 | 77 | 78 |
Provo | 615 | 53 | 69 | 37 | 65 | 66 | 51 | 83 | 63 |
Fargo | 615 | 59 | 47 | 38 | 80 | 60 | 71 | 77 | 46 |
Novato | 614 | 57 | 83 | 50 | 61 | 52 | 82 | 54 | 43 |
Bismarck | 614 | 58 | 51 | 39 | 74 | 69 | 71 | 75 | 43 |
Grand Forks | 614 | 53 | 58 | 33 | 85 | 58 | 67 | 79 | 42 |
Brookings | 613 | 57 | 67 | 25 | 75 | 74 | 58 | 70 | 56 |
Rockville | 613 | 75 | 69 | 76 | 44 | 78 | 71 | 46 | 37 |
Newport Beach | 612 | 62 | 87 | 51 | 53 | 62 | 77 | 46 | 49 |
Huntington Beach | 610 | 64 | 76 | 58 | 53 | 75 | 73 | 43 | 46 |
Mountain View | 609 | 56 | 74 | 64 | 58 | 62 | 75 | 45 | 51 |
Framingham | 609 | 52 | 69 | 64 | 57 | 65 | 71 | 58 | 48 |
Sarasota | 609 | 68 | 37 | 70 | 63 | 72 | 61 | 63 | 54 |
Miami Beach | 608 | 54 | 52 | 64 | 80 | 68 | 44 | 63 | 60 |
Boise | 607 | 70 | 73 | 42 | 52 | 76 | 62 | 56 | 54 |
Portland | 607 | 43 | 70 | 43 | 76 | 60 | 79 | 44 | 63 |
Salt Lake City | 606 | 69 | 54 | 45 | 69 | 66 | 56 | 64 | 57 |
Cincinnati | 606 | 76 | 51 | 52 | 67 | 60 | 53 | 51 | 76 |
Naperville | 605 | 76 | 92 | 48 | 37 | 82 | 75 | 36 | 40 |
Auburn | 605 | 59 | 76 | 44 | 70 | 83 | 35 | 67 | 47 |
Fullerton | 605 | 64 | 44 | 68 | 53 | 82 | 66 | 60 | 51 |
Franklin | 604 | 59 | 89 | 49 | 54 | 90 | 72 | 36 | 33 |
Bozeman | 603 | 61 | 76 | 27 | 72 | 76 | 64 | 45 | 55 |
Lakewood | 603 | 71 | 56 | 54 | 62 | 67 | 62 | 67 | 40 |
White Plains | 602 | 55 | 69 | 75 | 64 | 45 | 61 | 50 | 62 |
Redmond | 602 | 55 | 75 | 56 | 47 | 64 | 67 | 58 | 61 |
Oak Park | 602 | 64 | 83 | 57 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 43 | 47 |