The 10 Best Places To Live In The United States For 2024


The best places to live in the United States are Naperville and Sunnyvale for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Best Cities To Live In The United States Map
There’s a common denominator that all the best cities in the United States have. They’re safe, with excellent schools, plentiful jobs, things to do, and low crime rates.

The best places in the United States are where everyone wants to live. High home prices indicate excess demand, so if home prices are too low, it’s a sign it’s a bad place to live. If crime is high, no one wants to live there.

The cities below all share the qualities people prefer in a town. There might be some surprises on this list, but when you look at the unbiased data, it’s hard to argue against.

To determine the best places to live in America, we looked at the most recent Census data for income, home prices, and unemployment rate. We then merged that data with FBI crime data, education, and points of interest data to measure crime and amenities.

After analyzing the 222 most populated cities in the country, here is our list of the best places to live in America.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


What’s the best place to live in America? The best place to live in America for 2024 is Naperville according to the most recent data from the Census and FBI.

We understand there are good parts in every city in the United States. However, according to data (which doesn’t measure things like beauty, ‘ friendly people’ and community involvement), these are the best places in America to call home. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best places to live in America.

The worst place to live in America? Memphis. More on that later.

For more reading, check out:

The 10 Best Places To Live In America For 2024

Naperville, IL

Source: Wikipedia User David Wilson | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

10
/10

Population: 149,089
Average Home Price: $527,805
Median Income: $143,754
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0087
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
More on Naperville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

And where’s the best place to live in America? On paper, Naperville, Illinois is the best place to live in America according to the most recent Census and FBI data.

This Chicago suburb is plain loaded. There’s barely any place in the country where families bring in more money per capita. If being near wealthy people where crime is something that simply happens in other cities is a place that sounds good to you, then Naperville is your spot. Money Magazine always sings the praises of Naperville, and Kiplinger called it the best place in America to retire.

Plus, the public libraries in Naperville rank as the best in the land, and the downtown area of Naperville is just so charming, who wouldn’t want to live here?

Sunnyvale, CA

Source: Wikipedia User Coolcaesar (talk) | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 154,573
Average Home Price: $1,875,596
Median Income: $174,506
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0257
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
More on Sunnyvale: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

You may have heard it before — Sunnyvale is simply an amazing place to live. Sunnyvale, California has been known around the streets as a great place to live, according to our unbiased data. It’s the 2nd best place to live in America. Why? Well let’s take a peek.

First off it would be hard to find a better place to raise kids then in this Silicon Valley city, which has the highest home values in the country. You can make the case that home prices really do determine how great a place is, because people speak with their cash. Other factors: really low crime, high population density, and just about everyone who wants a job has a job.

And Sunnyvale isn’t just for nerds, either.

Cary, NC

Source: Flickr User James Willamor | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 174,880
Average Home Price: $600,101
Median Income: $125,317
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0121
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
More on Cary: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Cary, North Carolina is the 3rd best place to live in the US.

Chances are if you live in Cary a car break-in happens once a week, and makes the front page of the local paper. This Raleigh suburb is simply in a class of its own when it comes to a peaceful quiet standard of living.

Practically everyone in this community who wants a job has one, and there’s plenty of technology companies in the region, which is one reason people are flocking here from all over, particularly the Northeast.

The running joke in Cary is that it’s a place where people settle who don’t want to be in Florida, but want to be close to family in the New England region.

Gilbert, AZ

Source: Wikipedia User Tony the Marine (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 267,267
Average Home Price: $566,231
Median Income: $115,179
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0118
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
More on Gilbert: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Our 4th stop on our tour of the best cities to live in the US, is surprisingly Gilbert, Arizona. Gilbert’s located near Phoenix. Gilbert has grown at an extremely high rate over the last 30 year, from only 6,000 people to more than 200,000 people. That means lots of people want to live here. Households in Gilbert bring in about $115,179 annually, which is the highest in the state of Arizona. And crime is just about as low as you can expect for a city of its size.

Gilbert has its downsides. Obviously it’s hotter than blazes in these parts, where you might have to wear an oven mitt to get to work. Some people might not like it that much. Eskimos for example, probably would hate it here.

Cambridge, MA

Source: Flickr User EandJsFilmCrew | CC BY-SA 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 117,962
Average Home Price: $946,296
Median Income: $121,539
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0263
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
More on Cambridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

The 5th best place to live in America goes to Cambridge, MA — the better version of Boston. While Boston might have Boston University or Boston College, Cambridge has MIT and Harvard. And while Boston might be an awesome place to live, Cambridge is a bit better.

The median income in Cambridge comes in at a rocking $121,539 and home prices average about $946,296 meaning that there’s big demand to live here. And that makes sense as there are a ton of tech jobs available in the area at big startups like Hubspot or Biogen with big players like Google and Pfizer hosting offices in town.

Cambridge is the kind of place that you can brag to your high school friends about living in at the 15 or 20 year reunion (because there’s no way you’re buying a house there before that).

Roseville, CA

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was J.smith at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 148,879
Average Home Price: $625,711
Median Income: $112,265
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0214
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
More on Roseville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Roseville, California ranks as the 6th best place to live in the United States. California cities have a lot to do and they have a great economy. Roseville is no exception. Just about every major publication which ranks places to live has called Roseville both a top spot to raise families as well as a great place to retire.

Rosevilleis located in Placer County, outside of Sacramento. Here in Roseville, the schools are some of the best in the US, where funding levels are really high, and where overcrowded schools are non existent. The median income is $112,265 and the average home price is $625,711.

Frisco, TX

Source: Flickr User nan palmero | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 202,075
Average Home Price: $650,075
Median Income: $144,567
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0156
Unemployment Rate: 3.9%
More on Frisco: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Welcome to Frisco, Texas. Frisco is actually also the wealthiest place in America, too. Now we’re not going to speculate that wealth is the main sign of desirability, but in most studies the better places to live happen to also be the wealthier places. That’s often because areas where there’s high incomes are also areas with great schools, lots of jobs, and low crime.

Here in Frisco, the average household brings in more than $100,000 a year annually, and this is just about the safest place you can live in the state of Texas. Most of the successful people who commute to the Dallas-Fort Worth area live here. There’s a reason Frisco was named the fastest growing city for a number of years in the early 2000s.

Simi Valley, CA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

9
/10

Population: 126,153
Average Home Price: $801,530
Median Income: $112,144
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0094
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
More on Simi Valley: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Simi Valley, California ranks as the 8th best place to live in America. Here in Simi Valley, the number of people employed is high. Part of that’s because it’s located right in the Southern California growing tech scene. Crime here is far lower than in other nearby cities like Long Beach, and it’s not as expensive to live here as it is in nearby Pacific Palisades or Manhattan Beach. However, the average home price here is $801,530, and the income levels are $112,144, meaning, yes, Simi Valley is an awesome place to live, but the cost of living is extremely high.

Just like in many of the other California cities we mentioned, people in Simi Valley have all sorts of opportunities for fun. There’s plenty of shopping in Simi Valley malls and such.

Alexandria, VA

Source: Wikipedia User ALXCHO | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility

8.5
/10

Population: 157,594
Average Home Price: $611,500
Median Income: $113,179
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0205
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
More on Alexandria: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

We’re going to Virginia with the next best place to live in America, Alexandria, VA. It’s a DC suburb starting to turn DC into a suburb. Alexandria traffic is an absolute mess, and the cost of living makes it hard for people to get ahead, but it’s continuing to grow.

But throw that all aside when you look at the actual data. Alexandria has some of the lowest crime in the region, and lots of folks are employed gainfully. This city isn’t just a place for older people; it’s a family-friendly community with lots to do. The city of Alexandria has a very large budget, which means lots of funding for park activities and protection.

Thousand Oaks, CA

Source: Wikipedia User User:Howcheng | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility

9.5
/10

Population: 126,532
Average Home Price: $1,001,691
Median Income: $125,399
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0115
Unemployment Rate: 4.8%
More on Thousand Oaks: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate

Thousand Oaks is no stranger to our national lists as it has been one of the richest and safest places to live in America. However, it had always been on the outside looking in when it came to the best places to live in America, but not this year. This year, Thousand Oaks ranks as the 10th best place to live in America.

Why the jump this year? Well, safety improved some relative to the competition, median home values have remained high. and people continue to move into town in droves. The schools have solid score on GreatSchools, there’s great weather being in Southern California, and you’re close to Los Angeles without being too close — all good things in a place.

When you’re in town you should check out the Gardens of the World or Wildwood Regional Park, both excellent family affairs.

Methodology: How do you decide the best cities in the United States?

To rank the best places to live in America, we used Saturday Night Science to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a city. It is safe to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable local economy.

So, we put together all those criteria to get the best, most complete analysis possible. Using FBI crime data, Zillow, and the 2018-2022 American Community Survey census data, we used these criteria:

  • Population Density (The higher the better — meaning there’s more to do for indoor entertainment)
  • Lowest Unemployment Rates
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Low Housing Vacancy Rate
  • Education (High expenditures per student and low Student-Teacher Ratio)
  • Low Crime

We looked at the 222 biggest cities in America — those with over 100,000 people per the latest numbers. We then ranked each city from best to worst on each criterion.

Finally, we averaged all the ranks to create the best place to live index. The city with the lowest index, Naperville, is crowned the best place to live in the United States for 2024.

If you’d like to see the complete list of the 100 biggest cities in the US, scroll to the bottom of this report.

Summary: The Best Big Cities in The US

If you’re looking at cities in the U.S. where crime is low, people are wealthy, and the public schools are amazing, this is an accurate list.

If you live in Naperville, or any of the other cities we mentioned, you’re lucky. If you don’t, we’re sure your city is also pretty cool.

The best cities in the United States are Naperville, IL, Sunnyvale, CA, Cary, NC, Gilbert, AZ, Cambridge, MA, Roseville, CA, Frisco, TX, Simi Valley, CA, Alexandria, VA, and Thousand Oaks, CA.

Here’s a look at the worst places to live in America according to the data:

  1. Memphis
  2. Birmingham
  3. Dayton

For more reading about America:

Detailed List Of The Best Places To Live In The United State

Rank City Population Average Home Prices Median Incomes Unemployment Rate Crime Rates
1 Naperville, IL 149,089 $527,805 $143,754 4.5% 0.0087
2 Sunnyvale, CA 154,573 $1,875,596 $174,506 4.1% 0.0257
3 Cary, NC 174,880 $600,101 $125,317 3.4% 0.0121
4 Gilbert, AZ 267,267 $566,231 $115,179 3.5% 0.0118
5 Cambridge, MA 117,962 $946,296 $121,539 3.3% 0.0263
6 Roseville, CA 148,879 $625,711 $112,265 4.5% 0.0214
7 Frisco, TX 202,075 $650,075 $144,567 3.9% 0.0156
8 Simi Valley, CA 126,153 $801,530 $112,144 4.4% 0.0094
9 Alexandria, VA 157,594 $611,500 $113,179 3.2% 0.0205
10 Thousand Oaks, CA 126,532 $1,001,691 $125,399 4.8% 0.0115
11 Bellevue, WA 150,606 $1,314,283 $149,551 4.0% 0.0385
12 Huntington Beach, CA 197,481 $1,206,669 $114,747 5.4% 0.0246
13 Torrance, CA 145,454 $1,140,607 $109,554 5.3% 0.0281
14 Meridian, ID 119,872 $510,137 $93,296 2.7% 0.0085
15 Irvine, CA 304,527 $1,331,528 $122,948 5.5% 0.0159
16 Fremont, CA 228,795 $1,413,076 $169,023 4.0% 0.0301
17 Santa Clara, CA 128,058 $1,524,900 $165,352 4.2% 0.0387
18 Orange, CA 138,728 $991,595 $109,335 4.7% 0.0186
19 Santa Clarita, CA 225,850 $773,299 $116,186 5.5% 0.0123
20 Chandler, AZ 275,618 $519,175 $99,374 3.8% 0.0203
21 Mckinney, TX 196,160 $506,871 $113,286 3.7% 0.0122
22 Arvada, CO 123,066 $594,157 $106,014 3.8% 0.0327
23 Scottsdale, AZ 240,537 $798,175 $104,197 3.5% 0.0263
24 Overland Park, KS 196,676 $423,348 $100,876 3.2% 0.0262
25 Rancho Cucamonga, CA 174,696 $736,775 $105,534 5.4% 0.024
26 Olathe, KS 142,114 $384,085 $108,077 3.2% 0.0146
27 Elk Grove, CA 176,105 $627,121 $115,864 6.4% 0.0155
28 Pearland, TX 124,478 $367,684 $111,123 3.2% 0.0182
29 Plano, TX 284,948 $503,025 $105,679 4.4% 0.0209
30 Clovis, CA 120,607 $497,595 $98,554 6.3% 0.02
31 San Jose, CA 1,001,176 $1,330,692 $136,010 4.7% 0.0304
32 Virginia Beach, VA 457,900 $384,137 $87,544 4.3% 0.017
33 Ann Arbor, MI 122,216 $479,804 $78,546 3.7% 0.02
34 Seattle, WA 734,603 $827,235 $116,068 4.2% 0.0652
35 Pembroke Pines, FL 170,472 $485,196 $77,657 4.7% 0.0159
36 Coral Springs, FL 133,801 $536,819 $87,488 6.2% 0.0137
37 Peoria, AZ 191,292 $485,980 $86,759 3.9% 0.0163
38 Miramar, FL 135,158 $506,754 $81,812 4.2% 0.0137
39 Surprise, AZ 145,591 $432,141 $87,756 4.6% 0.0161
40 Corona, CA 158,346 $721,686 $103,727 4.6% 0.0268
41 Stamford, CT 135,413 $611,989 $100,718 5.5% 0.0138
42 San Diego, CA 1,383,987 $955,846 $98,657 6.1% 0.0224
43 Jersey City, NJ 287,899 $591,988 $91,151 5.8% 0.0154
44 Santa Rosa, CA 178,221 $708,139 $92,604 5.6% 0.0168
45 Round Rock, TX 120,465 $436,302 $91,888 3.8% 0.0261
46 Berkeley, CA 121,385 $1,400,497 $104,716 5.5% 0.0589
47 San Francisco, CA 851,036 $1,254,436 $136,689 5.4% 0.0624
48 Madison, WI 268,516 $369,136 $74,895 2.6% 0.0271
49 Concord, CA 125,007 $754,708 $107,789 4.9% 0.0339
50 Carrollton, TX 132,284 $410,598 $95,380 3.7% 0.0189
51 Charleston, SC 149,960 $530,719 $83,891 3.7% 0.023
52 Chula Vista, CA 276,103 $809,308 $101,984 8.8% 0.0164
53 Richardson, TX 118,063 $436,131 $94,362 5.0% 0.0238
54 Yonkers, NY 209,780 $616,101 $78,208 6.6% 0.0122
55 Fullerton, CA 142,280 $936,138 $99,279 6.9% 0.0301
56 Fort Collins, CO 168,758 $545,188 $78,977 5.3% 0.0291
57 Boston, MA 665,945 $714,795 $89,212 6.6% 0.0232
58 Fairfield, CA 119,420 $603,111 $98,857 5.5% 0.0304
59 Henderson, NV 318,063 $461,416 $85,311 7.0% 0.0227
60 Hayward, CA 160,602 $845,438 $105,371 5.7% 0.0317
61 Sterling Heights, MI 133,744 $278,499 $75,381 5.9% 0.0136
62 Garden Grove, CA 171,637 $867,160 $86,139 5.8% 0.0247
63 Cape Coral, FL 198,912 $394,398 $72,474 4.4% 0.012
64 Oceanside, CA 173,722 $824,796 $86,701 5.9% 0.0246
65 Thornton, CO 141,799 $512,505 $95,064 4.6% 0.038
66 Fontana, CA 209,279 $592,297 $93,230 6.2% 0.016
67 Chesapeake, VA 249,377 $374,172 $92,703 5.0% 0.0247
68 Lewisville, TX 125,028 $395,721 $82,006 3.8% 0.0227
69 Escondido, CA 151,114 $810,764 $77,554 4.3% 0.0213
70 Lakewood, CO 156,149 $560,048 $82,786 4.4% 0.0617
71 Raleigh, NC 465,517 $431,992 $78,631 4.5% 0.0287
72 Port St. Lucie, FL 210,520 $391,794 $75,040 5.7% 0.0095
73 Mesa, AZ 503,390 $431,607 $73,766 4.7% 0.0224
74 Portland, OR 646,101 $523,622 $85,876 5.6% 0.069
75 Lincoln, NE 290,531 $267,971 $67,846 3.3% 0.0326
76 Murfreesboro, TN 153,487 $400,303 $70,451 4.3% 0.0276
77 Santa Ana, CA 311,379 $753,174 $84,210 5.5% 0.0268
78 Cedar Rapids, IA 136,929 $183,682 $66,895 3.9% 0.0333
79 St. Petersburg, FL 259,343 $375,897 $70,333 4.6% 0.0327
80 Salinas, CA 162,783 $697,163 $84,250 5.0% 0.0219
81 Oxnard, CA 202,279 $710,811 $90,409 5.9% 0.025
82 Sioux Falls, SD 193,401 $311,972 $71,785 2.3% 0.0375
83 Visalia, CA 141,466 $369,497 $75,658 5.6% 0.0292
84 Anaheim, CA 347,111 $844,174 $88,538 5.4% 0.0351
85 Austin, TX 958,202 $533,213 $86,556 4.4% 0.0416
86 Colorado Springs, CO 479,612 $440,298 $79,026 5.6% 0.0411
87 Long Beach, CA 462,293 $799,165 $78,995 6.6% 0.0305
88 New York, NY 8,622,467 $733,006 $76,607 7.6% 0.0276
89 Ontario, CA 176,326 $627,446 $78,070 5.8% 0.025
90 Denver, CO 710,800 $558,402 $85,853 4.7% 0.0744
91 Fargo, ND 127,319 $290,476 $64,432 3.6% 0.0478
92 Huntsville, AL 215,025 $276,878 $67,874 4.6% 0.0184
93 Oakland, CA 437,825 $790,956 $94,389 5.8% 0.0782
94 Hialeah, FL 222,996 $445,753 $49,531 3.7% 0.0193
95 Lexington, KY 321,276 $289,233 $66,087 5.0% 0.0298
96 Hollywood, FL 152,764 $452,509 $61,958 6.1% 0.0253
97 Joliet, IL 150,221 $226,442 $84,971 6.2% 0.0153
98 Midland, TX 132,490 $290,629 $90,448 3.2% 0.0236
99 Reno, NV 265,196 $526,202 $73,073 5.0% 0.0323
100 Eugene, OR 176,755 $464,226 $61,481 7.1% 0.0376

Best Places By State

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.