Description of the U.S. News & World Report (U.S. News) 2019 Best Places Ranking for Best Places to Live and Best Places to Retire. Where does Sacramento rank?
Best Places to Live
U.S. News ran the numbers on 125 metro areas in the U.S. to determine the best places to live, evaluating each metro area on: quality of life, job market, value of living there and desirability of living there.
No. 1 on the list was Austin, TX, while San Juan, PR was in last place at No. 125.
SacramentoRevealed.com – All Things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
Sacramento ranked No. 82 on the Best Places to Live with a 6.3 overall score (out of 10). Included in the overall score is Quality of Life (6.7) and Value (5.2).
California cities on the list:
- 7 – San Francisco
- 14 – San Jose
- 36 – San Diego
- 73 – Santa Barbara
- 74 – Santa Rosa
- 82 – Sacramento
- 107 – Los Angeles
- 117 – Salinas
- 119 – Fresno
- 120 – Modesto
- 123 – Stockton
- 124 – Bakersfield
Best Places to Retire
U.S. News ran the numbers on the 100 largest metro areas in the U.S. to determine the best places to retire, evaluating each metro area on: housing affordability, happiness, desirability, retiree taxes, job market and healthcare quality.
No. 1 on the list was Lancaster, PA, while Bakersfield, CA was in last place at No. 100.
Sacramento, ranked No. 86 in Best Places to Retire with an overall score of 6.1 (out of 10). Included in the overall score is Housing Affordability (5.5) and Healthcare (5.9).
California cities on the list:
- 14 – San Diego
- 44 – Santa Rosa
- 49 – Los Angeles
- 51 – San Francisco
- 86 – Sacramento
- 92 – San Jose
- 94 – Fresno
- 98 – Stockton
- 100 – Bakersfield
It will come as no surprise that cost of living plays a large role in the rankings. The following Sacramento specific quotes from the U.S. News says it all:
“Sacramento residents benefit from a desirable income to cost-of-living ratio. The average annual income is higher than the national average (albeit relatively low by California standards). Although the median home sale price in Sacramento is significantly higher than the national median, they’re noticeably lower than those in other major California metro areas – which is one of the factors helping to drive Sacramento’s population growth.”
“Sacramento offers a lower value than similarly sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income.”
See related blog post: Where Does Sacramento Rank?
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