Boulder, Colo., was ranked the best place to live in the nation, according to a recent analysis by U.S. News & World Report released Tuesday.
According to the outlet, it considered “affordability, job market and quality of life,” of the 150 most populous areas in the U.S. in its ranking system.
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An overall score of 7.5 out of 10 earned Boulder the top ranked spot on the list, ahead of Raleigh & Durham, N.C.; Huntsville, Ala.; Fayetteville, Ark. and Austin, Texas in the top five. Another Colorado town, Colorado Springs, came in 6th place with a score of 7.3.
Digging deeper into Boulder’s score shows that this town nestled near the Rocky Mountains has a desirability score of 8.5, a value score of 6, a job market score of 8.5, a quality of life score of 8.2 and a net migration score of 6.2.
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What do these scores really mean?
To calculate the “desirability” score, U.S News & World Report used SurveyMonkey to poll 3,600 people across the country this May about what metro areas they wanted to live in most.
The “value” score is more complex. It measures if residents of a metro area can afford to live within their means. U.S. News compared the median annual household income with the housing cost in each metro area with their own formula to determine this score. Data from the U.S. Census was used to estimate incomes and housing costs.
Next, the job score is determined by unemployment rates over the 12-month period prior to the report as well as the average salary in the area. Each are weighted equally.
Quality of life scores measure resident satisfaction based on several indicators: crime rates (30 percent), health care (10 percent), education (25 percent), well-being (15 percent) and commuter-friendliness (20 percent).
Net migration, or the rate at which people are moving away from the metro area, was determined by U.S. Census data.
Overall, quality of life scores held the most weight at 26 percent of the score and net migration the least at 12.8 percent. More information is available through the outlet.
The top 10 places to live were:
1. Boulder, CO
2. Raleigh & Durham, NC
3. Huntsville, AL
4. Fayetteville, AR
5. Austin, TX
6. Colorado Springs, CO
7. Naples, FL
8. Portland, ME
9. Sarasota, FL
10. Portland, OR
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What makes Boulder so special?
Elements that may have contributed to Boulder’s high-ranking scores include its picturesque landscapes.
“This city reveals its spectacle at the crest of a hill on U.S. Route 36 from Denver with its iconic sandstone slabs rising from the mountains, prefaced by pine-clad mesas and cradled within the backdrop of the snow-capped Indian Peaks,” said U.S. News & World Report.
It also offers wellness opportunities for residents, such as free mediation and yoga classes as well as a wealth of marijuana dispensaries. Outdoor recreation such as hiking, climbing cycling and more are other draws for the Colorado town.
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