Residents of America’s 20th-largest city know it has plenty to offer, and recently that was recognized in a national study.
The U.S. News & World Report released its “Best Places to Live” in 2024-2025 list, ranking Oklahoma City the 16th top place to live in the United States.
Using data from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. News evaluated 150 major cities based on a variety of factors in four major categories:
- Quality of Life Index (32%): crime rates; quality of public education/college readiness; resident wellbeing; average commute time; quality and availability of healthcare; air quality index, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Risk Index.
- Value Index (27%): housing affordability determined by dividing the blended annual housing cost by the blended median annual household income, and data on the price parity for goods, housing, utilities and other.
- Desirability Index (19%): ranking on SurveyMonkey’s February 2024 city desirability list; net migration; number of temperate days between 55 and 75 degrees per year; number of restaurants and drinking establishments per 100,000 people.
- Job Market Index (22%): unemployment rate and average salary.
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Oklahoma City is the 16th best place to live
According to the study, Oklahoma City’s charms include its Western heritage, making it the place to find cowboy history, festivals, horse shows, museums and the world’s largest stocker-feeder cattle market.
The city is also home to the Oklahoma City Thunder, a vast array of parks and trails, an entertainment district adjacent to downtown and an evolving dining scene.
“The influx of younger residents in recent years has infused the city with a more energetic, creative and progressive feel than it had in the past,” US News said. “Once an early-to-bed, early-to-rise, meat-and-potatoes kind of town, Oklahoma City today buzzes with life until the early hours of the morning.”
The report also acknowledged the people of Oklahoma City as its greatest asset, a tight-knit community where you’re always offered a friendly hello.
According to the study, commuting in Oklahoma City is about six minutes less than the national average, and the city offers a better value when it comes to housing costs compared to median household income.
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Oklahoma City also has a healthier job market than similarly sized metro areas, US News said, with ample opportunities for careers in energy, aviation and health care. While violent and property crime rates were higher than the national average in 2022, OKC’s crime rate is still lower than other major cities.
One area where the city didn’t stack up compared to others on the list was its schools, based on the college readiness index, which is lower for many Oklahoma schools this year after AP score data was not released to US News & World Report for its Best High Schools list.
10 best places to live in the US
According to U.S. News’ rankings, the 10 Best Places to Live in the United States in 2024 are:
- Naples, Florida
- Boise, Idaho
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Greenville, South Carolina
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Austin, Texas
- Boulder, Colorado