Not all American neighborhoods are created equal.
Some are better than others.
But which ones?
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and used Saturday Night Science to find out which neighborhoods are the best.
Turns out the best neighborhood where you can live in this country is Battery Park. The worst? Shelby Forest-Frayser, TN.
You might not be surprised to hear it, but almost every neighborhood on this list is in downtown New York City. The only problem? It’s understandably hard to afford to live here.
In Battery Park, crime is very low, and homes are actually relatively affordable – at least more so than in most other great’ downtown NYC neighborhoods.
Across the Hudson from New York is the awesome neighborhood of Downtown Jersey City, where you get views of downtown NYC and much cheaper homes, too. For those who want low crime and affordability, plus the NYC metro area experience, this place is super.
In North Sutton Area, crime numbers are about the same as some of the other more posh NYC neighborhoods, but homes are the most expensive. The average home is more than a million bucks. Lots of people might argue that makes the neighborhood less’ desirable, and they might have a good point.
The television show The Jeffersons’ made this neighborhood in downtown NYC a household name. If you wanted to move on up yourself and live on the Upper East Side, you’d better get in line and have a deep pocketbook.
The Upper West Side is the every man’s’ neighborhood in downtown New York. Those who can’t afford the Upper East Side, but want the poshness that comes with a fancy downtown experience live here. It’s packed, and for good reason.
That’s certainly a sign that there’s demand to live here.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is the United States’s statewide median.
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Best Neighborhoods In The US
To rank the best neighborhoods in America, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place to live. Most people like low crime, things to do, and a stable economy.
So, we used Saturday Night Science to research FBI crime and Census data. The following are the criteria we used:
- Population Density
- Unemployment Rates
- Median Income
- Home Prices
- Crime Rates
We ranked each neighborhood over 15,000 people from the 100 biggest cities in the United States — 708 neighborhoods to be exact.
For each criteria, we ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst. We then averaged the rankings to create a “Best Place To Live Index.”
We updated this report for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods in America.
The full list
Table: Best Neighborhoods To Live In The United States
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income | Crime Per 100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15,714 | $1,546,050 | $211,402 | ||
| 2 | 38,783 | $772,881 | $133,134 | ||
| 3 | 17,279 | $763,965 | $147,814 | ||
| 4 | 187,724 | $1,412,032 | $152,408 | ||
| 5 | 96,997 | $1,301,833 | $143,421 | ||
| 6 | 19,678 | $742,385 | $123,289 | ||
| 7 | 17,334 | $1,364,986 | $130,238 | ||
| 8 | 209,387 | $1,520,156 | $137,257 | ||
| 9 | 70,045 | $1,139,062 | $145,893 | ||
| 10 | 16,095 | $1,714,572 | $185,103 | ||
| 11 | 27,627 | $1,230,414 | $143,080 | ||
| 12 | 15,186 | $1,074,885 | $134,995 | ||
| 13 | 16,642 | $1,458,940 | $137,325 | ||
| 14 | 24,259 | $1,176,311 | $198,578 | ||
| 15 | 19,649 | $1,749,956 | $172,749 | ||
| 16 | 34,717 | $725,579 | $89,872 | ||
| 17 | 18,914 | $1,182,169 | $116,184 | ||
| 18 | 77,437 | $1,088,590 | $130,927 | ||
| 19 | 24,852 | $666,145 | $128,834 | ||
| 20 | 36,353 | $1,249,943 | $102,786 | ||
| 21 | 66,947 | $1,541,846 | $155,486 | ||
| 22 | 71,983 | $809,087 | $118,432 | ||
| 23 | 21,871 | $1,862,334 | $205,908 | ||
| 24 | 39,365 | $1,033,354 | $98,486 | ||
| 25 | 18,855 | $973,793 | $178,534 | ||
| 26 | 41,090 | $746,666 | $132,281 | ||
| 27 | 129,617 | $805,687 | $68,707 | ||
| 28 | 34,360 | $759,119 | $165,516 | ||
| 29 | 46,778 | $1,176,574 | $181,680 | ||
| 30 | 18,506 | $919,342 | $142,356 | ||
| 31 | 19,022 | $1,614,046 | $142,263 | ||
| 32 | 17,026 | $816,275 | $123,349 | ||
| 33 | 25,088 | $900,731 | $86,292 | ||
| 34 | 16,320 | $359,578 | $110,042 | ||
| 35 | 35,153 | $1,207,833 | $117,139 | ||
| 36 | 16,004 | $704,812 | $105,976 | ||
| 37 | 20,512 | $661,838 | $133,268 | ||
| 38 | 72,632 | $580,702 | $94,597 | ||
| 39 | 37,859 | $987,476 | $83,954 | ||
| 40 | 28,522 | $908,813 | $127,134 | ||
| 41 | 65,898 | $829,305 | $90,545 | ||
| 42 | 39,181 | $1,204,131 | $99,711 | ||
| 43 | 19,471 | $767,500 | $141,201 | ||
| 44 | 31,183 | $1,221,787 | $175,518 | ||
| 45 | 36,602 | $956,217 | $73,713 | ||
| 46 | 84,990 | $844,232 | $95,888 | ||
| 47 | 23,788 | $559,585 | $111,056 | ||
| 48 | 46,363 | $648,903 | $69,068 | ||
| 49 | 16,587 | $1,382,200 | $111,188 | ||
| 50 | 49,712 | $1,087,861 | $131,352 | ||
| 51 | 19,736 | $622,723 | $105,996 | ||
| 52 | 21,864 | $2,000,001 | $205,646 | ||
| 53 | 16,998 | $833,794 | $122,922 | ||
| 54 | 28,489 | $1,032,286 | $131,546 | ||
| 55 | 21,375 | $1,095,080 | $153,714 | ||
| 56 | 56,008 | $836,188 | $143,821 | ||
| 57 | 31,709 | $1,392,827 | $163,253 | ||
| 58 | 30,872 | $920,036 | $105,991 | ||
| 59 | 55,134 | $696,249 | $76,126 | ||
| 60 | 33,915 | $558,847 | $122,248 | ||
| 61 | 17,307 | $948,600 | $98,534 | ||
| 62 | 15,494 | $603,617 | $98,740 | ||
| 63 | 48,364 | $1,037,794 | $172,093 | ||
| 64 | 17,860 | $707,443 | $97,131 | ||
| 65 | 35,478 | $826,107 | $144,769 | ||
| 66 | 20,109 | $676,764 | $113,703 | ||
| 67 | 58,064 | $818,408 | $141,919 | ||
| 68 | 17,902 | $1,403,934 | $111,424 | ||
| 69 | 81,105 | $896,235 | $159,304 | ||
| 70 | 30,285 | $715,152 | $114,356 | ||
| 71 | 80,651 | $731,928 | $105,663 | ||
| 72 | 39,821 | $838,977 | $87,013 | ||
| 73 | 50,752 | $879,942 | $84,100 | ||
| 74 | 36,662 | $1,298,387 | $128,665 | ||
| 75 | 75,182 | $544,098 | $107,972 | ||
| 76 | 28,366 | $790,259 | $75,551 | ||
| 77 | 17,154 | $529,538 | $101,976 | ||
| 78 | 32,384 | $331,150 | $98,220 | ||
| 79 | 69,396 | $756,326 | $76,103 | ||
| 80 | 50,701 | $454,812 | $71,342 | ||
| 81 | 47,098 | $632,712 | $104,228 | ||
| 82 | 28,704 | $555,508 | $81,878 | ||
| 83 | 57,287 | $1,266,754 | $78,789 | ||
| 84 | 26,784 | $481,058 | $76,360 | ||
| 85 | 22,537 | $791,708 | $134,883 | ||
| 86 | 96,974 | $883,397 | $58,789 | ||
| 87 | 31,348 | $503,105 | $92,096 | ||
| 88 | 75,376 | $521,976 | $57,190 | ||
| 89 | 57,436 | $556,847 | $128,310 | ||
| 90 | 29,934 | $680,715 | $94,629 | ||
| 91 | 30,151 | $645,145 | $108,245 | ||
| 92 | 22,688 | $681,550 | $122,141 | ||
| 93 | 29,688 | $449,604 | $85,305 | ||
| 94 | 18,918 | $391,207 | $94,793 | ||
| 95 | 44,403 | $1,236,862 | $155,690 | ||
| 96 | 26,316 | $471,400 | $90,462 | ||
| 97 | 18,347 | $1,023,558 | $121,072 | ||
| 98 | 35,623 | $654,182 | $82,011 | ||
| 99 | 157,050 | $1,095,912 | $75,970 | ||
| 100 | 82,321 | $518,824 | $83,053 |
Source: FBI crime data and U.S. Census ACS. Neighborhoods over 15,000 people in the 100 biggest US cities.
Summary
There You Have It — The Best Neighborhoods In The US
If you’re looking at neighborhoods in the U.S. where crime is low, people are well-off, and demand to live there is high, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in the United States are Battery Park, NY, Downtown, NJ, North Sutton Area, NY, Upper East Side, NY, West San Jose, CA, Charlestown, MA, Inner Sunset, CA, Upper West Side, NY, Cambrian Park, CA, and Noe Valley, CA.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In America FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in America?
Battery Park, NY is the best neighborhood in America for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Downtown and North Sutton Area are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in the US?
The best neighborhoods in America are Battery Park, NY, Downtown, NJ, North Sutton Area, NY, Upper East Side, NY, West San Jose, CA, Charlestown, MA, Inner Sunset, CA, Upper West Side, NY, Cambrian Park, CA, and Noe Valley, CA. We ranked 708 neighborhoods with more than 15,000 people across the 100 biggest US cities.
How do you rank the best neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on median income, home values, and violent and property crime per 100,000 residents, using Census tract and FBI data. The best combined score wins.
How expensive is Battery Park?
The median household income in Battery Park is $211,402 and the median home costs $1,546,050. The best blocks in America do not come cheap.
What is the worst neighborhood on this list?
Shelby Forest-Frayser, TN ranks last of the 708 neighborhoods we scored. Our separate worst neighborhoods in America ranking covers that end of the table properly.
