Castle Rock, Broomfield make the list of “America’s Best Small Cities”

A WalletHub analysis of 1,300 cities nationwide found that Carmel, Indiana is the best small city to live in.

The analysis included areas with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 and took into account factors like cost of living, the economy, safety, and the death rate.

To determine the rankings, WalletHub compared 1,318 cities across five key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Economic Health, 3) Education & Health, 4) Quality of Life and 5) Safety. These dimensions were evaluated using 45 relevant metrics, each graded on a 100-point scale.

Castle Rock (15) and Broomfield (45) both made the list in Colorado.

Top 50 Best Small Cities in America for 2024:

1. Carmel, IN
2. Brookfield, WI
3. Lexington, MA
4. Fishers, IN
5. Appleton, WI
6. Apex, NC
7. Brentwood, TN
8. Lancaster, PA
9. Bozeman, MT
10. Westfield, IN
11. Milton, MA
12. Fair Lawn, NJ
13. Leesburg, VA
14. Noblesville, IN
15. Castle Rock, CO
16. Kaysville, UT
17. Saratoga Springs, NY
18. Downers Grove, IL
19. Needham, MA
20. Arlington, MA
21. Zionsville, IN
22. Portland, ME
23. Franklin, TN
24. Ridgewood, NJ
25. Lehi, UT
26. Leawood, KS
27. Syracuse, UT
28. Holland, MI
29. Princeton, NJ
30. Newton, MA
31. Melrose, MA
32. Algonquin, IL
33. Woodstock, GA
34. Wake Forest, NC
35. Glen Ellyn, IL
36. Rockwall, TX
37. Belmont, MA
38. Woodbury, MN
39. Leander, TX
40. Brownsburg, IN
41. Mason, OH
42. Los Altos, CA
43. Duluth, GA
44. Menomonee Falls, WI
45. Broomfield, CO
46. Stratford, CT
47. Palo Alto, CA
48. Sammamish, WA
49. Waukesha, WI
50. Bentonville, AR

“Not everyone craves the bright lights and crowded spaces of big cities,” says Adam McCann, a WalletHub financial writer, in a statement. “In fact, almost one-third of Americans (31%) say they would prefer to live in the suburbs, compared to 16% for urban areas and 24% for rural communities.”

On the other end, San Luis Obispo, California and Lakewood, New Jersey are the worst small cities to live in.

The only other small city to make the list…but at the bottom was Pueblo West. They are bottom of the list of small cities to live in (1291).

Read more and see if your favorite small town made the list