Best Cities to Live in America (2011)

This article ranks the best citiesto live in America based on each city's cumulative z-score across five categories: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) unemployment rate; (3) crime rate per 1,000 residents; (4) high school graduation rate (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a high school diploma or higher); and (5) college graduation rate (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor's degree or higher). For purposes of this article, "cities" are the 50 most populated municipalities in the United States.

After reading "Best Cities to Live in America (2011)," return to this link to read " Best Places to Live in America (2011) ." A collection of similar articles for each of the 50 U.S. states can be found at these links: Alabama , Alaska , Arizona , Arkansas , California , Colorado , Connecticut , Delaware , 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 and Wyoming .

1. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) - Virginia Beach, Virginia

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $60,018
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 32.07
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 92.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.1%

2. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Seattle, Washington

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $51,958
Unemployment Rate: 7.8%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 59.18
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 92.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 56%

3. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Colorado Springs, Colorado

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $53,955
Unemployment Rate: 9.4%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 41.56
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 93.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 36.2%

4. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Omaha, Nebraska

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $51,147
Unemployment Rate: 4.9%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 42.2
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 88.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 32.4%

5. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Boston, Massachusetts

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $39,928
Unemployment Rate: 7.9%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 41.0
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 85.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 44.7%

6. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Washington, D.C.

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $47,738
Unemployment Rate: 9.9%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 57.51
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 87.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.5%

7. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Honolulu, Hawaii

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $34,595
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 39.59
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 89.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 35.8%

8. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- San Francisco, California

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $44,820
Unemployment Rate: 9.5%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 46.56
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 85.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 52.0%

9. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- San Diego, California

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $45,587
Unemployment Rate: 10.5%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 27.69
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 86.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 41.3%

10. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Charlotte, North Carolina

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $53,641
Unemployment Rate: 9.6%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 49.63
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 88.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 38.8%

11. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- San Jose, California

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $54,953
Unemployment Rate: 12.4%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 26.07
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 81.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 35.6%

12. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Portland, Oregon

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $48,552
Unemployment Rate: 10.1%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 55.71
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 90.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.8%

13. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $39,564
Unemployment Rate: 6.9%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 57.98
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 86.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.4%

14. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Mesa, Arizona

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $53,455
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 36.81
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 86.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 23.6%

15. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Austin, Texas

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $52,882
Unemployment Rate: 6.6%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 62.31
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 84.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 43.9%

16. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Denver, Colorado

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $42,893
Unemployment Rate: 9.7%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 39.26
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 84.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 40.3%

17. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Atlanta, Georgia

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $51,053
Unemployment Rate: 11.3%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 68.13
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 87.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 46.5%

18. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Albuquerque, New Mexico

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $47,491
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 56.27
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 87.3%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 32.2%

19. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- Nashville, Tennessee

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $50,883
Unemployment Rate: 8.8%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 60.46
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 86.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 34.5%

20. Best Cities to Live in America (2011) -- New Orleans, Louisiana

Median Household Income (adjusted for cost of living): $43,430
Unemployment Rate: 8.8%
Crime Rate per 1,000 residents: 42.77
High school diploma or higher (25 years and over): 83.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25 years and over): 31.1%

Bottom 30: 21. Jacksonville, Florida; 22. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 23. Tulsa, Oklahoma; 24. Louisville, Kentucky; 25. Columbus, Ohio; 26. New York City, New York; 27. Chicago, Illinois; 28. Kansas City, Missouri; 29. Fort Worth, Texas; 30. Phoenix, Arizona; 31. El Paso, Texas; 32. San Antonio, Texas; 25. Indianapolis, Indiana; 34. Las Vegas, Nevada; 35. Sacramento, California; 36. Houston, Texas; 37. Long Beach, California, 38. Tucson, Arizona; 39. Dallas, Texas; 40. Philadelphia; Pennsylvania; 41. Los Angeles, California; 42. Baltimore, Maryland; 43. Milwaukee, Wisconsin; 44. Oakland, California; 45. Memphis, Tennessee; 46. Fresno, California; 47. St. Louis, Missouri; 48. Cleveland, Ohio; 49. Miami, Florida; 50. Detroit, Michigan.

The sources used in support of this article include the latest 1, 3, and 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census and the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report.

More Articles from J.C. Grant

"Average ACT Scores by State (2010)"
"Average SAT Scores by State (2010)"
"Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size and Demographics"
"Most Dangerous Cities in America - Murder Rates"

"State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School"
"State Education Rankings: SAT Scores"

Source(s):

"Cities," City-Data.com
"Select Tables," U.S. Census Bureau
"2009 ACS 1-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates," U.S. Census Bureau
"Uniform Crime Reports," Federal Bureau of Investigation