← Best places to live

Best Places to Live in United States (2026)

350 best-measured cities in United States, ranked on 29 livability metrics — cost, safety, healthcare, transport, and more. Institutional data, not crowdsourced.

As of the 2026-09-09 snapshot, New York City is the highest-scoring well-measured city in United States at 78/100. Updated 2026-09-09.

Highest overall livability

  1. New York City New YorkA78
  2. Los Angeles CaliforniaA76
  3. Boston MassachusettsA74
  4. Madison WisconsinB74
  5. San Francisco CaliforniaA74
  6. Durham North CarolinaB73
  7. Chicago IllinoisA73
  8. San Diego CaliforniaA73
  9. Laredo TexasC73
  10. Houston TexasA73
  11. Corpus Christi TexasC72
  12. Brownsville TexasC72

Most affordable

  1. Detroit MichiganB78
  2. Cleveland OhioB77
  3. St. Louis MissouriB77
  4. Cincinnati OhioB73
  5. Pittsburgh PennsylvaniaA70
  6. Oklahoma City OklahomaB67
  7. El Paso TexasB67
  8. Tulsa OklahomaB67

Safest

  1. Madison WisconsinB82
  2. San Diego CaliforniaA81
  3. Alexandria VirginiaC81
  4. Stamford ConnecticutB81
  5. Aurora IllinoisC81
  6. Chula Vista CaliforniaB81
  7. Corona CaliforniaB81
  8. Fairfield CaliforniaB81