When looking for a good place to live, several factors are taken into account, perhaps the most important of which are affordability and quality of life. For this reason, we have ranked different metropolitan areas based on these factors to help you make the best possible decision.
Each metropolitan area offers something different, so it is important to take a close look at each of these cities and learn what they have to offer. This way, we can have a guide and prioritize some important metrics for us such as employment opportunities, living in a safe area, good bridge conditions or even the time it would take us to get to work.
In this report, Scholaroo considers a depth of topics across 47 metrics in 8 key dimensions: Crimes and Safety, Affordability, Economy, Quality of life, Healthcare, Education, Opportunity, and Infrastructure.
In our list of metropolitan areas, the best city to live in the U.S. is Naples (Florida), followed by Carmel (Indiana) and Naperville (Illinois).
With our help, you can make an informed decision that best suits your needs and choose the best place to live. Start exploring!
Main Findings
Category Breakdown
Methodology
Our data study will use a mathematical model to create a final ranking out of 47 unique factors. These factors will be grouped into 8 main categories each of which will have 3+ topics.
- Crimes and Safety
- Affordability
- Economy
- Quality of life
- Healthcare
- Education
- Opportunity
- Infrastructure
We evaluated those categories using 47 relevant metrics listed below with their corresponding weight. Each metric was graded on a 100 - point scale, with a score of 100 being the max.
Finally, we determined each city's weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Crime and Safety (10 points)
Property crimes: Regular Weight (1.18 Points)
The number of burglaries and larceny.
Robberies: Regular Weight (1.18 Points)
The number of robberies.
Murder: Half Weight (0.59 Points)
The number of murders.
Aggravated assault: Regular Weight (1.18 Points)
The number of aggravated assaults.
Violent crimes: Half Weight (0.59 Points)
The number of violent crimes.
Bulgary: Regular Weight (1.18 Points)
The number of burglaries.
Larceny: Half Weight (0.59 Points)
The number of larcenies.
Motor vehicle theft: Regular Weight (1.18 Points)
The number of motor vehicle theft.
Sexual assault: Regular Weight (1.18 Points)
The number of sexual assaults.
Police officers: Half Weight (0.59 Points)
The number of police officers.
Firefighters: Half Weight (0.59 Points)
The number of firefighters.
Affordability (18 points)
Median Home Value: Double Weight (9 Points)
The average cost to buy a house.
Rent cost: Regular Weight (4.5 Points)
The average cost of the rent per city.
Cost of living: Half Weight (2.25 Points)
The amount of money a person spends living in that city (transportation, gas, etc).
Sales Taxes: Half Weight (2.25 Points)
The percentage of taxes that they pay in sales.
Economy (10 points)
Homeownership rate: Regular Weight (2.86 Points)
The percentage of housing units in the city occupied by the property owner.
Poverty rate: Half Weight (1.43 Points)
The rate of the number of people whose income falls below the poverty line.
Median Household income: Double Weight (5.71 Points)
The income of all people living in the same household.
Quality of life (15 points)
Weather mildness: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The rate of change in the climate of the highest and lowest temperatures in 2022.
Air quality: Regular Weight (2.31 Points)
Level of air quality in 2021.
Water quality: Regular Weight (2.31 Points)
The number of infractions committed in 2021.
Movie theaters: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The number of movie theaters per capita
Museums: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The number of museums
Public parks: Regular Weight (2.31 Points)
The number of public parks per capita
Zoos: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The number of zoos per capita
Restaurants: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The number of restaurants per capita.
Coffee shops: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The number of coffee shops per capita.
Malls: Half Weight (1.15 Points)
The number of malls per capita
Healthcare (10 points)
Hospitals: Double Weight (4 Points)
The number of hospitals available per capita.
Doctors: Regular Weight (2 Points)
The number of doctors available per capita.
Nurses: Regular Weight (2 Points)
The number of nurses available per capita.
Dentists: Half Weight (1 Points)
The number of dentists available per capita.
Without health insurance: Half Weight (1 Points)
The percentage of people without health insurance.
Education (15 points)
Education rate: Regular Weight (4.29 Points)
Rate of students graduated from high school.
Number of Public Schools: Half Weight (2.14 Points)
The number of public schools.
Tuition cost: Half Weight (2.14 Points)
The amount of money that tuition costs for a private school.
Educational expenditures per student: Half Weight (2.14 Points)
The amount of money that the city spends on education.
Student/teacher ratio: Half Weight (2.14 Points)
The number of teachers available per classroom.
Opportunity (15 points)
Unemployment rate: Regular Weight (3.33 Points)
Percentage of people who don't have a job.
Self-employment: Half Weight (1.67 Points)
Percentage of people who has their own business.
Workforce: Regular Weight (3.33 Points)
Percentage of people that are currently working.
Home office: Half Weight (1.67 Points)
Percentage of people with a home office job.
Commute time: Half Weight (1.67 Points)
The average time that a person spends on a bus.
Gender pay gap: Regular Weight (X Points)
The gap between male and female salary.
Infrastructure (7 points)
Number of Houses: Half Weight (1.75 Points)
Rate of houses per capita.
Bridges condition: Regular Weight (3.5 Points)
Percentage of bridges in good condition.
Number of airports: Half Weight (1.75 Points)
The number of airports per capita