NC has 4 cities on US News & World Report’s ‘Best Places to Live’ Top 25 list
Four North Carolina cities, including Raleigh and Charlotte, are among the best 25 places to live in the United States this year, according to U.S. News & World Report.
To create the list, the publication considered data on 150 major cities, including information about housing affordability, household income, quality of education, access to health care, crime rates, commute times, air quality and other factors. New this year was a shift from metro-based data to city-based data, resulting in Midwestern and Southern cities not previously included in the annual list making the cut.
U.S. News & World Report surveyed more than 3,000 people in the U.S. to determine what factors are most important when deciding where to live. This year, there was an increased interest in cost of living.
Which NC cities are in the top 25?
- No. 23: Greensboro was noted for its highly rated public school system, quality of life and value. Last year, U.S. News & World Report named The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro the best high school in the country, The News & Observer previously reported. While the school dropped to No. 16 this year, it still holds the title of the top-ranked school in the state.
- No. 17: Asheville has one of the shortest commute times of any city in the U.S., and it ranks highly for quality of life and air quality.
- No. 6: Raleigh’s proximity to Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State, which are among the largest employers in the area, along with its status as a hub for technology and a state capital landed the city a top-10 ranking.
- No. 5: Charlotte was recognized for its job market, desirability, quality of life and value.
The top four cities were Naples, Florida; Boise, Idaho; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Greenville, South Carolina.
Other rankings for NC cities
- Greensboro took the No. 7 rank for college readiness, No. 27 for quality of life and No. 30 for value.
- Asheville ranked No. 10 for quality of life and No. 8 for air quality.
- Raleigh was No. 5 for quality of life and No. 21 for the job market.
- Charlotte was ranked highly across four categories: No. 22 for job market, No. 26 for desirability, No. 34 for quality of life and No. 43 for value.
- In a separate list, U.S. News & World Report listed Hickory No. 6 among the 25 best affordable places to live in the U.S.
Comparison to previous years’ rankings
Neither Greensboro nor Asheville made last year’s list, which was comprised of 10 metro areas rather than 25 cities.
Raleigh’s position fell from last year.
U.S. News tied Raleigh and Durham together in the 2023-24 list, ranking the cities the third best places to live in the country. They were behind Green Bay, Wisconsin, at No. 1 and Huntsville, Alabama.
Charlotte, though, has risen in the rankings. Last year, the city was No. 8.
In 2022, the Raleigh and Durham metro area was the sixth best place to live in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. It marked the second consecutive year that the area made the list.
Raleigh and Durham ranked No. 2 in the 2021 list.
This story was originally published May 22, 2024 at 7:00 AM with the headline "NC has 4 cities on US News & World Report’s ‘Best Places to Live’ Top 25 list."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included incorrect details about Asheville. That entry has been updated to reflect the corrected attributes of the Land of the Sky.
