Four small cities in the state of Massachusetts – Lexington (last year’s runner up), Reading, Milton and Melrose – were listed in the top 10, along with Zionsville (Indiana), Portland (Maine) and Dublin (Ohio).
Read more: In a study of 1,268 small cities, these are the best
WalletHub evaluated five aspects – affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and crime and safety – using 43 relevant metrics, each of which was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for residents.
The top three all received scores above 71.50, while the bottom three – Monroe (Louisiana), Bessemer (Alabama) and Pine Bluff (Arkansas) – mustered fewer than 37 points.
To compile the report, WalletHub noted that urban core counties had experienced population declines “for the first time in a decade”, partly due to the COVID pandemic.