See the 15 Best Places to Live in the US

U.S. News & World Report is well known for its rankings of everything from top colleges to retirement hotspots, and its latest is in. Earlier this week, the publication released its annual list of the best places to live in the country, with Naples, Florida, taking the No. 1 spot.

Boise, Idaho, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, rounded out the top three. U.S. News noted that the ranking looks a little different than previous years due to methodology changes — rather than using metropolitan area-based data, the 2024-2025 edition relied on city-based data, resulting in more Midwestern and Southern locales moving up the list.

“The incorporation of city-based data further localizes the Best Places to Live rankings, empowering those looking for a place to call home to consider factors directly impacting the livability and overall experiences associated with a given place,” reporter Erika Giovanetti explained in a press release.

U.S. News also put more weight on a city’s value and job market this year, citing “rising concerns about career prospects, housing affordability, and increased cost of goods and services,” Giovanetti said. The list additionally accounts for quality of life and desirability, using the results of a public survey as well as information from the NOAA, FEMA, Census Bureau, FBI, and more.

Naples, with a strong job market and an unemployment rate of 2.9% as of April, clearly fits the bill when it comes to economic considerations. And its Gulf Coast location and temperate weather make for easy living. The locals put it best: “I love seeing sunshine almost every day,” Mark Danni, a resident of 22 years, told the Naples Daily News.

Check out the rest of the cities that made the top 15 below and click here for the full list of 150.