With small cities often offering significantly lower costs of living than large cities, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2024’s Best Small Cities in America, as well as expert commentary, to identify which places offer the best quality of life while remaining affordable.
WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs and school-system quality to the number of restaurants per capita and the crime rate.
| Top 20 Small Cities in America | |
| 1. Carmel, IN | 11. Milton, MA |
| 2. Brookfield, WI | 12. Fair Lawn, NJ |
| 3. Lexington, MA | 13. Leesburg, VA |
| 4. Fishers, IN | 14. Noblesville, IN |
| 5. Appleton, WI | 15. Castle Rock, CO |
| 6. Apex, NC | 16. Kaysville, UT |
| 7. Brentwood, TN | 17. Saratoga Springs, NY |
| 8. Lancaster, PA | 18. Downers Grove, IL |
| 9. Bozeman, MT | 19. Needham, MA |
| 10. Westfield, IN | 20. Arlington, MA |
Best vs. Worst
- Los Altos, California and McLean, Virginia, are among the cities which have the highest median annual household income, which is 10.8 times higher than in Isla Vista, California, the city with the lowest.
- Southlake, Texas and Westfield, New Jersey, are among the cities which have the lowest share of the population living in poverty, which is 36.2 times lower than in Isla Vista, California, the city with the highest.
- Isla Vista, California, has the fewest average hours worked per week, which is 1.9 times fewer than in Fort Hood, Texas, the city with the most.
- Castle Rock and Parker, Colorado, have the lowest share of adults in fair or poor health, which is 3.5 times lower than in Pharr and Eagle Pass, Texas, which are among the cities with the highest.
Focusing on South Carolina, several small cities were included in the rankings, with their positions out of 99 (where 99 is the best and 1 is the worst) as follows:
- Greenville: 70
- Mount Pleasant: 68
- Hilton Head Island: 65
- Greer: 60
- Goose Creek: 49
- Rock Hill: 47
- Summerville: 37
- Aiken: 33
- Myrtle Beach: 23
- Mauldin: 21
- Anderson: 15
- Spartanburg: 14
- Sumter: 4
- Florence: 1
These rankings indicate that Greenville, Mount Pleasant, and Hilton Head Island are among the top-rated small cities in South Carolina, offering favorable conditions across the evaluated categories. Conversely, Sumter and Florence rank lower, suggesting there may be areas needing improvement.
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-small-cities-to-live-in/16581
