The quality of life in Boston surpassed any other American “mega-city” in a recent U.S. News review.
This study highlights 25 major American cities with the best quality of life. The final rankings can be further filtered by city size, ranging from “small, medium, large, to extra-large.” U.S. News categorized Boston as an “extra-large” city, factoring in Greater Boston, for a population sum of 4,912,030, according to U.S. News.
Of the three qualifying “extra-large” cities, Boston ranked at the top spot. Washington D.C. was next, and lastly New York City, when looking at quality of life in American “mega-cities.”
On the overall list, not considering population, Boston took home the sixth spot, still, ranking far ahead of NYC which came in at number 25, last on the list.
What’s living in Boston like according to U.S. News?
The quality of life assessment looked at various factors ranging from healthcare to wages, traffic, cost of living, activities, weather, and more.
“Boston often feels like a small town with all the perks of city life. It is historic but ever evolving. The metro area features a diverse culinary scene, access to cultural institutions, and proximity to world-class schools, employers and health care. It is on the cutting edge of medicine and technology but traditional in its love of pastimes like cheering on hometown heroes at Fenway Park. It is a region of sports enthusiasts, artists and entrepreneurs,” writes U.S. News.
Some quick stats from the Boston quality of life overview:
- Median salary: $76,850
- Median rent: $1,659
- Median age: 38.8 years
- Median home price: $716,746 (nearly double the national average of $383, 883)
- Average commute: 31.1 minutes (not sure if we agree with this one)
The high housing costs made the outlet provide Boston only a 4.4 out of ten for its “value,” noting, “Boston offers a lower value than similarly sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income.” Boston’s monthly rent and median home prices both surpassed those of New York City.
Overall, the cities, regardless of size, with the best quality of life in the U.S. according to U.S. News are:
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Boulder, Colorado
- Madison, Wisconsin
- San Jose, California
- Portland, Maine
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Rochester, New York
- Trenton, New Jersey
Other New England towns also made the list after the top 10. Worcester, Massachusetts ranked at number 16 on the list. Manchester, New Hampshire came in at 20. New Haven, Connecticut ranked 22, and Providence, Rhode Island, number 24.
The minimum population size for this survey is 50,000.