U.S. News and World Report’s best city ranking is here!
U.S. News and World Report released its annual ranking of “Best Places to Live in the U.S.”
The word is definitely out, with several Florida cities making the U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best Places to Live, including Sarasota, which came in as the No. 11 best place to live in the United States.
It was the second week in a row the Southwest Florida city was ranked among the top in the nation. On Nov. 18, Sarasota was ranked No. 4 by U.S. News & World Report among the Best Places to Retire.
For the 2025-26 Best Places to Live rankings, U.S. News & World Report selected 150 major cities to find the best places to live. “To make the top of the list, a place had to have good value, be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market and a high quality of life.”Â
Sarasota ranks No. 11 in US as best place to live
- Overall Score: 6.7
- Quality of Life: 6.2
- Value: 6.0
Here’s what US News & World Report had to say about Sarasota:
“Sarasota has a distinct vibe that’s different from Florida’s relative coastal cities, with its own vibrant arts scene, beachy atmosphere and burgeoning food culture.
“People who choose Sarasota as their home are generally called by its unique charm. This city of more than 55,000 people has a renowned opera house ,a number of rooftop bars and the popular beach of Siesta Key nearby.Â
“What makes the region special is its duality – downtown Sarasota boasts resorts and fine dining, but strolling Siesta Key Village or St. Armands Circle offers a more intimate, seaside ambience.”
“There was once a time when Sarasota was dismissed as a playground for retirees, but that reputation is slowly changing as more young professionals make it their own.
“One of the city’s up-and-coming neighborhoods is the Rosemary District, where eclectic murals decorate storefronts and modern condominiums and hotels sit near casual breakfast cafes.”
Top 10 places to live in US
As ranked by U.S. News & World Report:
- 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
More Florida cities made top 150 list for best places to live
More Florida cities made top 150 list for best places to live
- No. 11: Sarasota
- No. 31: Pensacola
- No. 35: Tampa
- No. 37: Fort Myers
- No. 49: Melbourne
- No. 56: Jacksonville
- No. 68: Orlando
- No. 75: Tallahassee
- No. 78: Ocala
- No. 80: Lakeland
- No. 83: Port St. Lucie
- No. 96: Daytona Beach
- No. 123: Miami
Methodology used for best places to live rankings
“U.S. News & World Report’s Best Places to Live rankings are intended to help readers make the most informed decisions when choosing where to settle down. Cities in the rankings are evaluated based on:
- Quality of life:Â Measures how satisfied residents are with their daily lives in each ranked city and includes crime rates, education quality, well-being, commuter index, health care, air quality and national risk index.
- Value index:Â The value index measures how comfortably the average resident of each city can afford to live within their means. This includes housing affordability and housing costs.
- Desirability index:Â Measures whether people want to live in a given city, and includes: desirability survey, net migration, number of temperate days and ratio of establishments to population.
- Job market index: Measures the strength of each city’s job market using the unemployment rate and median household income.
Which cities were in the top 10 for Best Places to Retire?
- Naples, Florida
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- New York City, New York
- Sarasota, Florida
- Boise, Idaho
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
What other Florida cities made the \’Best Places to Retire\’ list?
- No. 17: Pensacola
- No. 18: Tampa
- No. 19: Port St. Lucie
- No. 20: Melbourne
- No. 24: Fort Myers
- No. 34: Lakeland
- No. 55: Orlando
- No. 69: Tallahassee
- No. 77: Daytona Beach
- No. 81: Ocala
- No. 127: Miami
Contributing: C.A. Bridges, USA TODAY Network-Florida, Derek Gilliam, Sarasota Herald-Tribune