The latest Wallethub survey ranks the best small cities to live in America, weighted by various factors:
Not everyone craves the bright lights and crowded spaces of big cities. In fact, almost half of Americans (47%) say they would prefer to live in the suburbs, compared to 24% for urban areas and 23% for rural communities. Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few of its advantages. Granted, these little urban areas demand some tradeoffs, too, such as fewer restaurant options or shorter business hours.
One of the best perks of living in a city with a relatively small population is affordability. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the cost of living for a two-parent, two-child family in Hanford, California, for instance, would be $8,013 per month, compared with more than double at $17,621 for the same family in San Francisco.
No two small cities are made equal, though, so which ones outshine the rest? To find out, WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to restaurants per capita.
Carmel placed first in the entire nation:
Carmel, IN, is the best small city to live in, due in part to strong economic factors. Carmel has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 3.30%. It also has the 46th-lowest cost of rent as a share of median household income, at around 14%. On top of that, the median annual household income is nearly $135,000, 125th-highest out of the more than 1,300 cities in our study.
Low unemployment and high incomes have helped people in Carmel obtain high credit scores. The median credit score in the city is 775, which is the 20th-highest in the country and well into the excellent credit range.
Finally, Carmel is a good place for residents’ health and safety. It has the 11th-lowest share of adults in fair or poor health, along with the 21st-lowest premature death rate in the country. When it comes to safety, it has the third-lowest pedestrian fatality rate and the 70th-lowest violent crime rate.
Along with Carmel, metro suburbs Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, Zionsville, Brownsburg, Plainfield, and Greenwood were at the top,with other non-metro Indiana cities scattered within the list.