Several Midwestern cities are punching above their weight class when it comes to their overall livability. But the lights-out, heavyweight champion is the Nation’s Capital, according to a new report from RentCafe.
Thanks to its “exceptional qualify of life” — particularly its focus on wellness, “unmatched” professional networking opportunities, and revitalization efforts — Washington D.C. is the best place to live among the 149 metro areas studied, the apartment search engine says.
D.C. moved up from seventh in the 2024 study, pushing Portland, Maine, from last year’s top spot to second this year.
RentCafe.com’s annual Most Livable Metro Areas report ranks 149 U.S. metro areas using 17 metrics across three key categories — socioeconomics, quality of life, and location and community. The metrics include, among other things, cost of living, access to healthcare, community feel, the unemployment rate, length of commute, education, and housing issues.
While the top two most livable places are on the East Coast, the Midwest dominates all regions when it comes to overall livability, with six metro areas ranking in the top 20. In the Midwest’s corner, Kansas City, Missouri and Des Moines, Iowa ranked third and fourth, respectively, fueled largely by affordability, tech buzz, and an active social scene.
The Northeast and West were tied for second in overall livability with five metros each. Meanwhile, the South contributes just four metro areas.
Rounding out the top 10 are:
- Ann Arbor, Michigan at number five
- Albany, New York at number six
- Columbus, Ohio at seven
- Asheville, North Carolina at eight
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at nine
- Boise, Idaho at 10
However, when measured by socioeconomics alone, Springfield, Missouri ranks number one, followed by Charleston, South Carolina. D.C. also took the top ranking under two additional headings, quality of life and location.
