Austin breaks back into top 10 on list of best places to live in the U.S.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas' capital city rose back to the top 10 on a list ranking 150 major cities as the "best places to live."
The U.S. News and World Report 2024-2025 survey ranked Austin No. 9 on its annual list of Best Places to Live in the U.S.
Last year, Austin fell to the unusually low spot of No. 40 in the nation. In every other year since 2020, Austin was listed in at least the top 20. The survey ranked Austin at No. 13 in 2022, No. 5 in 2021, and No. 3 in 2020.
U.S. News and World Report listed Naples, Florida, in the No. 1 spot. Next was Boise, Idaho, and at No. 3 was Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Though Austin isn't No. 1 in the nation, it is listed as the best place to live in Texas, and it was the only Texas city to make the top 10. In fact, the next Texas city named on the list was McAllen all the way down at No. 48.
"We’re honored to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report with this distinction that confirms what Austinites know — our city is a special place," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said. “Our access to nature, our dynamic and diverse economy, and an unparalleled music scene make Austin a vibrant place to live, work, and play.”
The U.S. News and World Report's 2024-25 list evaluated 150 of the country’s top cities based on how well they meet Americans' living expectations, with measures including value, job market, desirability and quality of life.
Austin's overall score was a 6.8/10.
According to the U.S. News and World Report, the four measures factored into this year’s ranking were "weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find out what qualities they consider important in a place to live."
The methodology also factored in data from the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, Sharecare, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. News rankings of the Best High Schools and Best Hospitals, according to the media outlet.