The metros in these areas satisfy the criteria that are most crucial for families who are looking to move.
Moving to an entirely new area of the United States could be an overwhelming undertaking, particularly if you're moving with your whole family. For help finding the most suitable metro area that will be a good fit for your family, start with the Best places to reside within the U.S. Rankings in 2023-2024. We then weighed the affordability, quality of life, and the employment market similarly.
This makes the top 10 places to live for families, including not only the cost of living as well as an average salary per year but the standard of high school education, the average commute times, the crime rate, as the general well-being of the community as well as access to the best medical care.
These are the Best Places to Live for Families in the U.S.:
Huntsville, Alabama
It's not just that Huntsville's median annual wage is $61,140, higher than the average national salary of $58,260. But Huntsville residents pay just 19.62 percent of their average household income for living costs. When you combine those numbers with how the prices of products and services are compared to similar metro regions, Huntsville ranks as the fourth least expensive metro city out of 150. Huntsville is also at No. 25 because of its relatively lower chance of experiencing extreme weather events or natural disasters. It is also more resilient to the kinds of disasters which might occur.
San Jose, California
The average annual salary is $ 99,430. If you're looking for a high-quality education, it's a good idea to consider being a resident of San Jose. San Jose metro area, which is ranked at No. 1 of the 150 largest metropolitan areas within the U.S. for college readiness in teenagers in high schools. The top colleges come with a price as residents spend more of their average annual income of the household on the costs of living, which is 26.14 percent. In addition, the median house cost is higher than $1.5 million. The median salary is over the average for the country of $58,260.
Green Bay, Wisconsin
In Green Bay, families can save more to cover other expenses since expenses for a living require only 19.92 percent of the region's average household earnings. It is also a great place to work. Wisconsin metro region is also no. 18 among the top 150 metro regions within the U.S. for its low rate of property crimes and murder, violence, and crime. Additionally, the average commute to work is only 19.9 minutes.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
The cost of living is low and can be found easily in the northwest Arkansas metropolitan area. The residents spend only 20.44 percent of their median household income on the housing market; Fayetteville is the 13th most affordable city to live in among the 150 metropolitan cities on the Best Places to Live ranking. A bonus is that more spare time is available to stay in the comfort of your home before and after work, as the median commute takes just 20.7 minutes.
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Anyone considering moving to the Minnesota-St. Paul metropolitan area should anticipate a wide array of quality high schools, as well as an affordable cost of living. People in the region spend 22.63 percent of the average annual household income on living expenses. In addition, the median yearly wage is $63,990. Minneapolis-St. Paul students in high school are ranked 33rd in the top 150 metro regions within the U.S. for college readiness.
Des Moines, Iowa
Ranking No. 19 on the general Best Places to Live list, Des Moines is the sixth best place for families from 2023 to 2024. Living costs are low within this Midwestern city, ensuring that just 20.99 percent of the household's median earnings is needed to cover housing costs. However, college-ready is a weak point for the region, placing 114th of 150. A relatively robust economy and a speedy commute have led to Des Moines getting the 6th place.
Albany, New York
Albany's median annual salary, with a salary of $61,560, is higher than the average for all of America. Albany is also a top performer for lower rates of violent crimes and murders, as per FBI statistics. Families can rest easier since Albany places as No. 20 of the 150 cities on the scale of quality of air as per the U.S. Environmental Agency's Air Quality Index, which is a measure of the amount of harmful pollutants present in the air, which could affect the overall populace.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids residents spend just 20.72 percent of their average annual household income on living expenses. Furthermore, Grand Rapids ranks 14th in the overall quality of living in the general Best Places to Live list - in particular, due to its lower crime rate, high college readiness scores in high school students, and typical commute times for mornings of only 21.9 minutes.
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne ranks 26th out of the most populated 150 metropolitan areas of the U.S. for its low chance of severe weather or natural catastrophes and its high resistance to disasters that happen, as per FEMA. The city also has the shortest commute among metros in the Best Places to Live list and a morning commute time of only 22 minutes.
Lincoln, Nebraska
The capital city of Nebraska has the top spot at no. 10 in terms of cost of living, which is just 21.77 percent of the region's median household income. Lincoln is also 39th out of the 150 metropolitan areas on the list of the Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, which measures the overall level of happiness for people living there. Another factor contributing to the happy state could be that the commute to work in the morning is one of the fastest listed at 19.5 minutes.
