Which US City Should I Live In?

Do you wonder which city is right for you? This selector features over 300 US metropolitan areas. These are America's major population centers combining neighboring cities and surrounding suburbs. More than 80% of Americans live in these metro areas. Much of the data used here has been made available by the U.S. Census Bureau and other governmental sources. The third party raters, cited in this selector, of the best places for various activities and interests tend to focus on larger metro areas. Unless otherwise noted, over 300 metro areas have been ranked for each each question.

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1. What population size would you prefer?

A smaller metropolitan area with fewer than 200,000 people A medium sized metropolitan area with 200,000 to 500,000 A larger metropolitan area with more than 500,000 people No preference

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2. What sort of population density suits you?

Sparser. Fewer people per square mile. The benefits include lots of space, but the disadvantages may include sprawl and longer commute times. Denser. More people per square mile. On the downside there is more crowding, but the advantages generally include the convenience of nearby shopping. No preference

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3. Would you prefer an urban area that people are moving to or moving from?

Fast growing. If people are attracted to the area, it must have something going for it. Static/shrinking. If people aren't moving there and/or people are leaving, it probably means more affordable house prices. No preference

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4. Would you like a city that NerdWallet.com calculated is among the top twenty most affordable places to buy a home?

Source: NerdWallet.com

Yes, I'd like a place with affordable house prices. No. There are good real estate deals to be found in every city. No preference

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5. What about the ratio of unmarried men to unmarried women?

More unmarried males eighteen years and older preferred. More unmarried females eighteen years and older preferred. No preference

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6. Would you like a location in which more residents than average earned college degrees?

Yes, I'd like a place with a lot of college graduates. No. I don't care about people's education level. No preference

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7. Do you care about the physical fitness level and shape of the citizens? Gallup-Healthways Well-Being ranked cities for the rates of obesity.

Source: Gallup-Healthways Well-Being

A fit city where people have a lower than average body mass index. A fat city where people have a higher than average body mass index. No preference

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8. Would you like a place with many pleasant weather days every year?

We define a pleasant weather day as being about 65 degrees without rain. Perhaps you'd like a colder or a hotter climate.

A moderate climate preferred. A colder climate preferred. A hotter climate preferred. No preference

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9. What sort of income levels would your perfect city have?

Higher than average wages...which is generally accompanied by higher than average prices. Lower than average wages...which is generally accompanied by lower than average prices. No preference

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10. Would you be interested in cities that the personal finance website, WalletHub.com, identified good places to start a business?

Source: WalletHub.com

Yes, a good place to start a business is preferred. No. I don't intend to start a business. No preference

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11. Would you prefer a city identified by MoneyUnder30.com as a good place to be young, broke and single?

Source: MoneyUnder30.com

Yes, I'd like a place that is a good place to be young, broke and single. No. I won't be young, broke or single No preference

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12. Want a place that has qualities that retirees appreciate?

WalletHub.com looked at various factors including affordability, employment opportunities, activities, accessibility to health care and general quality of life. Source: WalletHub.com

Yes, I'd like a place that meets the needs and preferences of retired people. No. I don't intend to be retiring anytime soon. No preference

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13. Would you like a place where people make good use of their public transit?

Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight.com ranked public transportation in America's metropolitan areas by bus and rail trips per resident. Source: WalletHub.com

Yes, a popularly used system of buses, subways, trolleys and trains would be a plus. No. I won't need to use public transportation. No preference

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14. Would you like a place that the League of American Bicyclists rated as a bike-friendly community?

Source: League of American Bicyclists

Yes, I'd like a place that is a good place to bike. No. I am not a bike rider. No preference

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15. Would you like a place that Prevention magazine listed as being among the best cities for walkers?

Source: Prevention magazine

Yes, I'd like a place that is a good place to walk. No. I am not walker. No preference

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16. Want to avoid big city homicides?

If you prefer cities with populations greater than a quarter million people that have low murder rates, check the box below. A yes response gives points to safer big cities. The usually safer smaller cities (which don't appear in public FBI statistics) and the more dangerous big cities will drop down on your results list. If you prefer less populated areas, skip this question. Source: public FBI data

Yes, the fewer murders, the better. No. Even in violent cities, the odds of being murdered are low--especially if you are prudent. No preference

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17. Would you like a metropolitan area that OrganicGardening.com put on their list of "Green Cities" which they said are "urban areas are working to make their neighborhoods (and the planet) healthier and more sustainable"?

Source: OrganicGardening.com

Yes, I'd like to be in green city. No. I don't really care about gardens and like. No preference

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18. Would you like a city that the Mother Nature Network determined is a good place for outdoor enthusiast?

Source: Mother Nature Network

Yes, I'd like a place where I can enjoy outdoor activies. No. I am more of an indoor person. No preference

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19. Would you like a place on Men's Fitness's Best Sports Cities list?

Men's Fitness made their choices by considering the number of sports bars and sporting goods stores per capita, sports radio stations, stadiums in the vicinity, attendance at games among other factors. Source: Men s Fitness

Yes, I'd prefer to be in a good sports city. No. I am not a sports fan. No preference

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20. Do you like good restaurants?

Travel and Leisure magazine selected over thirty big cities (plus one town of 40,000) that they said are the best cities for foodies. Source: Travel and Leisure magazine

Yes, I'd a like a town is known for its good places to eat. No. I prefer to eat at home and/or am not a food snob. No preference

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21. Are you a beer connoisseur?

If you enjoy beer, especially craft beer, you may like a place which Draft Magazine bestowed the title of "Beertown, U.S.A". Source: Draft Magazine

Yes, I'd like a town with good beer. No. I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer the regular beer you can find anywhere. No preference

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22. Looking for livability?

Independent of each other, Livability.com and Vocativ.com rated the most livable cities in America. Large and small cities are included. Source: Livability.com and Vocativ.com

Yes, quality of life is important to me. No, give me my books, my television set and my Internet connection I can be happy anywhere. No preference

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23. Which state(s) in the United States would you prefer to live?

Check any, all or none.

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

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