Green Bay was ranked the #1 best place to live of the 150 most populous U.S. metro areas in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-2024 rankings, released today.
“Home to one of the most storied football franchises in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers, Green Bay has the perfect mix of big-city amenities complemented with a Midwestern, small-town feel. This city boasts a thriving entertainment and arts scene, revitalized downtown, and two college campuses, creating an energy that may appeal to young families as well as retirees,” U.S. News & World Report says.
In the U.S. News rankings, Green Bay ranked near the top for quality of life while having the third-lowest housings costs out of the largest 150 U.S. metro areas. Click here to read more about what the publication has to say about why Green Bay tops its rankings of Best Places to Live.
Green Bay ranked just ahead of Huntsville, Alabama (2); Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina (3); Boulder, Colorado (4) and Sarasota, Florida (5).
Madison also ranked high on the list, coming in at 11th.
“Against a backdrop of high-tech businesses and acclaimed academic institutions, Madison, Wisconsin, exudes the casual, down-to-earth feel you’d expect in the capital of America’s Dairyland,” U.S. News & World Report says.
Wisconsin and Florida are the only states with two metro areas included in the top 14 of the U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-2024 rankings. Florida has four metro areas included in the top 16 on the list: Sarasota was ranked 5th, Naples 6th, Melbourne 15th and Jacksonville 16th.
Milwaukee ranked 65th on the list, just behind Atlanta at 64th.
“Historical architecture stands as a tribute to Milwaukee’s past, while the metro area vibrates from the construction of a changing skyline and with the energy of its nearly 1.6 million residents,” U.S. News & World Report says. “Cranes, which have become common fixtures on the skyline, are a picture of Milwaukee’s modernization. Young people are drawn to Milwaukee’s blue-collar roots, relatively low cost of living and exciting new development. Milwaukee has a bustling nightlife, award-winning restaurants, lakefront museums, and a thriving music and arts scene.”
Chicago ranked 123rd on the list.
San Juan, Puerto Rico ranked last at 150th. Several California metro areas were ranked at the bottom of the list including: Bakersfield (149), Stockton (148), Visalia (147), Fresno (146) and Modesto (145).
The rankings are based on several metrics including a quality-of-life index (which includes crime rates, education data, commuting times, health care quality and availability and air quality), a value index (which includes household incomes, housing costs), a desirability index (which includes net migration and weather), and a job market index.
