About one in every five American workers whose job could be performed remotely worked from home before the COVID-19 pandemic. That share jumped to nearly three in four following the abrupt closure of offices nationwide, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2020. For millions of Americans, the shift to remote work is now permanent, and the new dynamic means they are no longer tied to a specific city for their job and can choose a place to live based on other factors, including quality of life — which varies considerably in the United States.

Affordability, access to public spaces and services, the presence of entertainment and cultural amenities, crime rates, and socioeconomic conditions are just a few of the factors that can influence quality of life in a given city or town.

24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures in four main categories – economy, affordability, quality of life, and community – using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and other sources to identify the best city to live in each state. We considered all boroughs, census designated places, cities, towns, and villages with at least 8,000 residents.

Meridian, a city of about 102,000 residents just west of Boise, ranks as the best place to live in Idaho. The city has a strategic growth plan designed to allow for sustainable expansion and promote industry without sacrificing quality of life. Recently, FedEx opened a 120,000 square foot distribution facility in the area, bringing several hundred jobs with it. Over the last five years, an average of just 3.7% of the local labor force were unemployed, below both the comparable 4.3% state and 5.3% national jobless rates.

Incomes in Meridian are also far higher than they are in much of the state. The typical area household earns $71,389 a year, well above the median income of $55,785 across Idaho. As is often the case in areas with strong job markets and high incomes, Meridian is also safe. There were only 159 violent crimes for every 100,000 people in the city in 2019, compared to 224 per 100,000 in Idaho and 367 per 100,000 nationwide.

Our index is composed of data across four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community. Data is all for the most recent year available and came from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, The Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. This is the best city to live in every state.

 

Place	Population	Median home value ($)	Median household income ($)	5-yr. avg. unemployment (%)
Alabama: Hoover	85,175	291,000	89,452	3.3
Alaska: Juneau	32,227	345,900	88,390	4.6
Arizona: Paradise Valley	14,362	1,516,200	211,393	2.1
Arkansas: Lowell	9,175	157,600	68,438	1.0
California: Burlingame	30,576	1,901,900	128,447	4.7
Colorado: Durango	18,588	463,700	66,160	4.8
Connecticut: Darien	21,742	1,471,700	232,523	4.9
Delaware: Smyrna	11,484	206,400	67,277	5.4
Florida: Key Biscayne	12,915	1,211,000	151,310	5.3
Georgia: Sandy Springs	107,072	471,800	78,613	3.0
Hawaii: Urban Honolulu	348,985	683,000	71,465	3.7
Idaho: Meridian	101,905	274,900	71,389	3.7
Illinois: Winnetka	12,428	1,091,700	250,000+	2.4
Indiana: Carmel	97,464	333,200	112,765	2.5
Iowa: North Liberty	18,829	220,800	83,949	1.1
Kansas: Leawood	34,670	463,200	157,515	2.7
Kentucky: Fort Mitchell	8,257	272,200	67,745	0.5
Louisiana: Harahan	9,304	240,300	66,741	3.6
Maine: Portland	66,595	289,000	60,467	2.8
Maryland: Takoma Park	17,672	583,800	84,591	5.6
Massachusetts: Brookline	59,180	933,200	117,326	2.8
Michigan: Royal Oak	59,195	224,600	81,665	3.2
Minnesota: Edina	51,746	476,300	104,244	3.1
Mississippi: Byram	11,578	141,700	66,641	2.2
Missouri: Ladue	8,601	831,800	214,875	1.3
Montana: Belgrade	8,685	243,200	59,146	2.9
Nebraska: Papillion	20,423	189,900	80,619	2.5
Nevada: Reno	246,500	335,000	58,790	5.4
New Hampshire: Portsmouth	21,775	425,600	83,923	2.1
New Jersey: Hoboken	53,193	720,700	147,620	3.0
New Mexico: Corrales	8,588	447,600	85,580	2.8
New York: Rye	15,820	1,392,100	192,688	4.1
North Carolina: Davidson	12,735	448,300	124,853	2.8
North Dakota: West Fargo	35,397	241,000	85,120	1.5
Ohio: Bay Village	15,325	247,900	103,582	1.3
Oklahoma: Bixby	`	223,900	83,119	2.9
Oregon: Sherwood	19,625	405,900	103,512	1.8
Pennsylvania: Wyomissing	10,473	245,600	81,178	4.3
Rhode Island: Newport	24,663	448,800	67,102	5.2
South Carolina: Mount Pleasant	86,982	461,000	103,232	2.1
South Dakota: Brandon	9,934	225,200	87,250	1.6
Tennessee: Brentwood	42,407	655,400	168,688	2.6
Texas: Highland Park	9,168	1,508,900	211,136	1.4
Utah: South Jordan	71,198	405,400	104,597	1.6
Vermont: South Burlington	19,162	307,500	73,065	3.7
Virginia: Vienna	16,489	743,500	161,196	2.4
Washington: Mercer Island	25,675	1,218,200	147,566	4.0
West Virginia: Weirton	18,670	94,800	49,496	6.6
Wisconsin: Middleton	19,487	336,900	76,011	2.5
Wyoming: Cheyenne	63,607	214,300	64,598	5.4

 

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