Veterans Day recently came and left with the usual gestures of appreciation from the public, lawmakers, and companies who offer freebies to active and former members of the uniformed armed services. There are, however, far more substantive and perennial publicly funded services for the veterans who served their country.
All veterans are entitled to certain benefits, but there are state-specific, even city-specific benefits veterans can be entitled to. Some cities may not offer specific benefits, but they have a large community of vets, have more jobs that could be suitable for veterans, or offer more health services. (These are 13 benefits every veteran is entitled to.)
To find the best cities for veterans, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data blog Lawnstarter’s report 2023’s Best Cities for Veterans, which ranked the 200 largest U.S. cities by the quality of life of veterans, based on a weighted index of 38 metrics grouped into nine categories: community, support, medical health care, mental health care, housing, education and training, employment and volunteering, affordability, and safety. We listed the 24 cities with an overall score of 30 or higher, with #1 on the list being the best city for veterans. Veteran population figures came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 five-year population estimates.
About 364,000 of the country’s estimated 17.8 million veterans live in 24 cities offering the best support for veterans.
An important factor in determining the best cities for veterans is ease of access to services provided under the Department Veterans Affairs. The VA had a $336 billion budget in the 2022 fiscal year to provide medical care, disability compensation, pensions, employment services, assistance to homeless veterans, home-loan guarantees, death benefits, and other services. The numbers of benefit centers or benefit claims assistance were two measures considered.
Other than access to VA facilities, these cities tend to rank high in nonprofit veterans support organizations, housing affordability, and employment or educational opportunities.
These cities are distributed across 19 states, from Massachusetts to Washington and includes the District of Columbia. Florida, New York, and Texas, each have two cities on the list. Providence, Rhode Island, and Salt Lake City rank the highest while Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Buffalo, New York, are at the bottom. (Here are states with the best benefits for veterans.)
Here are the best cities for veterans.
Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
24. Murfreesboro, TN
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 30.0
> Highest-scoring category: Affordability (#6 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 6,805 (#149 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 6.3% (#80 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: Elijah-Lovkoff / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
23. Buffalo, NY
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 30.1
> Highest-scoring category: Safety (#6 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 11,092 (#103 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 5.6% (#105 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
22. Charleston, SC
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 30.8
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#7 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 9,105 (#121 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 8.0% (#44 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
21. Seattle, WA
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.1
> Highest-scoring category: Safety (#12 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 26,211 (#34 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.1% (#161 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
20. Cincinnati, OH
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.1
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#10 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 13,030 (#84 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 5.5% (#112 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: GarysFRP / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
19. McAllen, TX
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.1
> Highest-scoring category: Medical Health Care (#4 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 3,385 (#194 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 3.4% (#175 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
18. Sioux Falls, SD
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.4
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#8 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 8,914 (#126 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 6.6% (#75 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: SeanPavonePhoto / iStock via Getty Images
17. Jackson, MS
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.5
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#3 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 6,609 (#152 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 5.4% (#115 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: thenationalguard / Flickr
16. Boston, MA
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.7
> Highest-scoring category: Employment and Volunteering and Safety (#5 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 15,124 (#70 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 2.6% (#190 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: Davel5957 / iStock via Getty Images
15. Grand Rapids, MI
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 31.9
> Highest-scoring category: Education and Training (#1 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 7,176 (#146 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.6% (#138 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
14. Minneapolis, MN
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 32.2
> Highest-scoring category: Employment and Volunteering (#10 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 12,718 (#87 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 3.7% (#168 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
13. San Antonio, TX
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 32.5
> Highest-scoring category: Community (#5 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 97,318 (#2 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 8.5% (#32 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: Althom / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
12. Pittsburgh, PA
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 32.8
> Highest-scoring category: Education and Training (#8 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 14,440 (#75 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 5.6% (#104 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: csfotoimages / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
11. Madison, WI
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 32.9
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#11 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 9,345 (#114 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.3% (#151 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: qingwa / iStock via Getty Images
10. Washington, DC
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 33.6
> Highest-scoring category: Support (#1 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 25,514 (#36 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.5% (#144 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
9. Dayton, OH
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 33.6
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#6 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 9,021 (#124 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 8.1% (#42 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: BluIz60 / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
8. Atlanta, GA
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 34.1
> Highest-scoring category: Employment and Volunteering (#1 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 18,350 (#58 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.5% (#143 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: JHVEPhoto / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
7. Tampa, FL
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 34.4
> Highest-scoring category: Employment and Volunteering (#6 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 21,233 (#47 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 6.9% (#59 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: Johnrob / E+ via Getty Images
6. Des Moines, IA
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 34.7
> Highest-scoring category: Education and Training (#12 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 9,633 (#113 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 5.9% (#92 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
5. Syracuse, NY
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 35.4
> Highest-scoring category: Medical Health Care (#3 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 5,212 (#173 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.6% (#137 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: flySnow / iStock via Getty Images
4. St. Louis, MO
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 35.4
> Highest-scoring category: Education and Training (#2 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 15,797 (#69 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 6.4% (#78 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
3. Miami, FL
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 38.2
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care (#4 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 7,509 (#141 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 2.0% (#197 out of 200 largest cities)
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Source: veteranshealth / Flickr
2. Salt Lake City, UT
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 41.7
> Highest-scoring category: Mental Health Care and Employment and Volunteering (#2 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 7,065 (#147 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 4.4% (#147 out of 200 largest cities)
Source: usairforce / Flickr
1. Providence, RI
> Best cities for veterans overall score: 46.2
> Highest-scoring category: Medical Health Care and Mental Health Care (#1 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veteran population: 3,415 (#193 out of 200 largest cities)
> 2020 veterans as share of total population: 2.4% (#193 out of 200 largest cities)
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