BestPlaces News

Your trusted source for best places to live news, analysis, research-driven articles. Our editors and data scientists rank cities in the USA based on what matters most so our readers can make informed decisions.

Bernie Talks About Huntington Beach, California

Alex, Victoria and Bernie Insider talk...

Alex and Rob talk Rutherford County, Tennessee

User Interview - Victoria and David Insider talk...

Victoria And David Talk New Orleans And Dc

User Interview - Victoria and David Insider talk...

Auto Insurance Rates By State

Most Expensive and Least Expensive Car Insurance Rates in the United States...

States With Lowest Home Insurance Costs

The average cost of home insurance in the United States comes in at...

Best Places For Nature Lovers

Most Square Miles of State Park and Forest Area...

Home Value Appreciation During The Coronavirus Pandemic

The top 10 states each showed over 50% growth...

Housing Appreciation During The Final Year Of The Coronavirus Pandemic

South Atlantic states boast the greatest home value appreciation, while Western states lag behind...

The Springfields of America are Cost of Living Bargains

Springfield's ubiquity as a place name may seem mundane, but researchers at BestPlaces have uncovered fascinating insights into its prevalence. Surprisingly, common U.S. place names like Fairview and Midway eclipse Springfield in frequency...

The Cost Of Living In Famous Tv Neighborhoods

See the cost of living in these iconic areas. When you’re watching one of your favorite TV shows, have you wondered what it costs to live the lifestyle of the characters? It’s only natural!

Best Places in America for Viewing Cherry Blossoms

There's no better way to welcome the Spring season than by enjoying the glorious sight of cherry blossoms in full bloom. Although Japan is renowned for hosting some of the world's most magnificent cherry blossom festivals, America also plays host to some equally breathtaking venues. From coast to coast, here's a comprehensive list of the best places in America for viewing cherry blossoms.

Top Pet Friendly Road Trip Destinations

In honor of National Pet Day on April 11th, BestPlaces and Motel 6 have partnered to present the best cities in the United States for visiting on a road trip with your cuddly companions.

Most Rent Burdened Zip Codes

Places where renters spend the greatest percentage of their income on rent

BestPlaces Video and Podcast Content

Everywhere to find the BestPlaces Talks podcast, plus YouTube videos and user interviews.

15 Best Places To Live If You Can Work Remotely

Millions of Americans can now relocate to cheaper areas and retain their current job.

The Coronavirus Economy Which Metros are Winning and Losing

Owensboro is the only one of the 401 U.S. major metropolitan areas and divisions to have a lower unemployment rate in June than it did in January.

Places with the Lowest Property Taxes

A list of the average 2020 real estate property taxes in each state.

10 States with the Highest Taxes

Combining the tax rates for state, county, and local jurisdictions

Top 10 Most Tax Friendly US States

Combined tax rates for state, county, and local jurisdictions

Top 5 Most Enjoyable Summertime Places

Best places for entertaining activities, the outdoors, and overall level of comfort

4th of July Around the US During Coronavirus

Having fun and celebrating while staying safe

The Most LGBTQ Friendly US Cities

Gay rights, transgender healthcare, and access to LGBTQ friendly restaurants, bars, and events.

The Insidious Air Toxic That Just Became Even Deadlier

Health risks associated with high levels of particulate matter include cardiac arrhythmias and heart attacks.

What Travel Will Look like After Coronavirus

With uncertainty regarding safety and scheduling of airline travel, the concept of “travel” has drastically changed.

Researching your Retirement Haven

An interview with Rita, a former IT professional who is the author of her own blog called Researching Rita.

Tips for Buying a Home Amidst an Economic Crisis

Valuable insights from housing market analysts, mortgage brokers, and real estate agents that will help you have a smooth process.

Finding a New Home with a Family

An Interview with Chemical Engineer and Father

Tips and Considerations for Moving During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Deciding when and where to move is particularly difficult in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interview with Former National Geographic Writer and BestPlaces Member

The experiences and insights of an award-winning former senior staff writer at National Geographic Magazine.

10 Factors to Consider When Researching Your Best Place To Live

Trying to figure out what type of information you should research before moving? We've got you covered.

Coronavirus Risk Assessment Toolkit

BestPlaces has amassed an unparalleled collection of data on every city, town, state, metro area, county and zip code in the U.S. and is sharing their work to fight the Coronavirus.

User Interview on the Process of Researching Your Best Place

We interview one of our users who has moved over 25 times.

Is Your Area Prepared for Coronavirus

In the face of this Coronavirus crisis, we’ve assembled a special dataset of Coronavirus risk factors .

Coronavirus Resources

We have compiled a list of supportive opportunities that help address various issues that may have arisen for you or loved ones as a result of this virus.

One Unexpected Benefit from the Coronavirus Emergency

This worldwide health emergency may be the major event that makes remote working more accepted as a common business practice.

Relocating in the United States

If you’re thinking about relocating, here's some insider advice from BestPlaces superuser Joanne B. who's moved over 100 times!

Places with the Highest Comfort Rating

The BestPlaces Comfort Index factors in components such as afternoon summer temperature and humidity to determine the places in the U.S. that are the most comfortable.

Metro Areas with Fastest Rising Income

The rich get richer - that seems to be the case when talking about recently released data from the U.S. Census Bureau for median household income.

The Best Places for Lovers of Live Music

With music being a passion for many in the US the drive to find events and places that suit their musical interests is high for many Americans.

The Find Your Best Place Quiz Big Takeaways From Our Recent Launch

You'll Be Surprised!

The Find Your Best Place Quiz

Try it today!

Three Big Trends For The 2020 s

What Happened, and Where We're Going

Best Cities for Board Gamers

Salt Lake City Takes First Place

Where Friendsgiving is Most Popular

New Jersey tops the list of the states most into Friendsgiving

Gloomiest Places in America

With a high Percentage of Cloud Cover, low Average Hours of Daylight, and many Days with Precipitation - Seattle and Portland are officially the Gloomiest Places in America.

Bert Sperling The Guy Who Picks the Best Places to Live

EVERY so often, a report comes out listing the best (or worst) cities to live in, the most romantic, the most child-friendly or the most affordable.

Loud Boat Greg Really Weird Online Review Of Portland Maine

In lighter news, one of our user comments about Portland, Maine recently made both the news and the rounds on Reddit thanks to its, um, creativity.

Providence is Number 1 for Doughnuts

Providence Journal - February 20, 2019

Top 10 Cities to Beat the Heat

The BestPlaces Summer Comfort Index considers seven climate variables, including total precipitation, daily minimum and maximum temperatures, extreme high and low temperatures, average dew points, and precipitation days.

Public versus Private Schools

Which cities use public schools the most?

Car Insurance Depends GREATLY on Where You Live

See Where Your State Ranks in Car Insurance Premiums

The Ultimate State Tax Ranking

Which States have the highest OVERALL taxes? - plus Climate Visualization Video

States with the Highest Income Tax and New Crime Risk Indexes

State Income Tax Index for the 50 States and the District of Columbia, from highest to lowest.

New One Click Comprehensive Data Downloads

Now you can download the full BestPlaces set of data for any city, county or zip code, and save them to your computer for easy, offline comparison in an Excel or Numbers spreadsheet.

Data Refresh Sitewide Update of Most Popular Data

Update to our major categories of demographics, population growth, income distribution, race and ethnicity, education, marital and family status, housing, occupations and industries, employment, and commuting categories

Adding Search and Map Browsing to Mobile App

Mobile App Improvements

Launch of the BestPlaces Mobile App

Compare the place you're in right now to other places in the U.S, and save your favorite places for continued research.

Moving Guide

Be well-informed before your move and do the necessary research before packing up

How to Play the BestPlaces Board Game

Game Boy Geek Video

The Best Places to Move in Retirement Are All Over the Map

New York Times - May 5, 2017

Minnesota is Fun City USA

New York Times - October 29, 2003

Seattle is Number 1 Hygge City in America

Seattle Times - January 17, 2018

Customize Your Own Personal Estimated Taxes

Enter your specific details and compare all the major tax categories (income, sales, property, motor vehicle)

Using the BestPlaces Mobile App

Case-study walkthrough and tutorial

Where Hurricanes Strike

Stunning visualization of U.S. regions most at risk from hurricanes

Best States for LGBTQ Rights

States that offer the most LGBTQ legal protection

Looking for past news & rankings? Find Them Here