← 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 2026-10-24 snapshot, New York City is the highest-scoring well-measured city in United States at 78/100. Updated 2026-10-24.

Highest overall livability

  1. New York City New YorkA78
  2. Los Angeles CaliforniaA77
  3. Boston MassachusettsA75
  4. Madison WisconsinB74
  5. San Francisco CaliforniaA74
  6. Chicago IllinoisA74
  7. Durham North CarolinaB74
  8. San Diego CaliforniaA74
  9. Laredo TexasC73
  10. Houston TexasA73
  11. Rochester MinnesotaB73
  12. Corpus Christi TexasB73

Most affordable

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

Safest

  1. Madison WisconsinB82
  2. San Diego CaliforniaA81
  3. Stamford ConnecticutC81
  4. Garden Grove CaliforniaB81
  5. Norman OklahomaC81
  6. Carrollton TexasB81
  7. Plano TexasC81
  8. Alexandria VirginiaC81