Lexington, Mass., is the best small city in the U.S. to live in, according to a Sept. 29 ranking from personal finance website WalletHub.
To build the ranking, WalletHub compared 1,318 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across five categories: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. The categories were measured using 45 metrics, including health-related ones such as the share of residents with health insurance, premature death rates and the share of adults in poor or fair health.
Here are the 10 best and worst small cities in the U.S., per WalletHub, with each city’s education and health rank in parentheses:
Best
1. Lexington, Mass. (3)
2. Brookfield, Wis. (34)
3. Carmel, Ind. (43)
4. Apex, N.C. (189)
5. Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (56)
6. Westfield, Ind. (51)
7. Milton, Mass. (17)
8. Arlington, Mass. (1)
9. Franklin, Tenn. (73)
10. Fishers, Ind. (44)
Worst
1,309. North Little Rock, Ark. (1,281)
1,310. Texarkana, Ark. (1,304)
1,311. Isla Vista, Calif. (495)
1,312. Monroe, La. (1,305)
1,313. Bessemer, Ala. (1,280)
1,314. Greenville, Miss. (1,318)
1,315. Wasco, Calif. (1,256)
1,316. Pine Bluff, Ark. (1,309)
1,317. Alexandria, La. (1,315)
1,318. West Memphis, Ark. (1,311)
