2 NorCal Metros Ranked Among 50 Best Places To Live By U.S. News: List

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — Ten cities in Northern California were listed on the 2023-2024 Best Places to Live in the country, according to rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News and World Report.

The new list evaluates the 150 biggest U.S. metropolitan areas based on value, competitiveness of the job market and quality of life.

There were two Northern California metro areas ranked in the top 50: San Jose came in at No. 13 and San Francisco was ranked No. 45.

San Jose's ranking was down eight notches compared to last year's ranking of No. 5. The city self-proclaimed as the capital of Silicon Valley had an overall score of 6.7 out of 10. It scored 5.7 for desirability, 4.6 for value, 9 for its job market, 7.4 for quality of life and 2.9 for net migration. Among its detractors was having one of the highest costs of living in the country, as well as some of the worst traffic congestion in the country, the report's authors wrote. However, San Jose scored 9/10 for its healthy job market and lower-than-national average unemployment rate; 7.8/10 for its crime rate, having a lower crime rate than similarly-sized cities; and 6.8/10 for schools.

San Francisco took a drastic dive from last year when it was among the top 10 places to live in the United States, ranked at No. 10. This year, San Francisco fell 35 notches from No. 10 to No. 45. It had an overall score of 6.4 out of 10. It scored 7.2 for desirability, 3.8 for value, 9 for its job market, 6.8 for quality of life and 2.7 for net migration. It scored low for housing value (3.8/10) when comparing housing costs to median income, and its daily commute time is 6.6 minutes higher than the national average. But like its Bay Area neighbor San Jose, its job market is healthier than most similar size metros. Also, its average annual salary is over $86,000 while the national average is just over $58,000; and for schools, San Francisco has a 6.5/10 college readiness index.

Here's how the NorCal metro areas ranked this year, with last year's rank in parentheses:

San Jose, No. 13 (2022 - No. 5)
San Francisco, No. 45 (2022 - No. 10)
Santa Rosa, No. 125 (2022 - No. 132)
Sacramento, No. 127 (2022 - No. 122)
Vallejo & Fairfield, No. 142 (2022 - No. 142)
Salinas, No. 143 (2022 - No. 144)
Modesto, No. 145 (2022 - No. 146)
Fresno, No. 146 (2022 - No. 141)
Visalia, No. 147 (2022 - No. 148)
Stockton, No. 148 (2022 - No. 149)

In Southern California, four metro areas were ranked by U.S. News. Here are the 2023-2024 rankings for SoCal metros, followed by their 2022-2023 rankings in parentheses:

San Diego, No. 93 (2022 - No. 107)
Santa Barbara, No. 124 (2022 - No. 126)
Los Angeles, No. 139 (2022 - No. 128)
Bakersfield, No. 149 (2022 - No. 147)

Here are the "Best Places To Live In California" from U.S. News for 2023-2024 when comparing the rankings only to other California cities:

1. San Jose
2. San Francisco
3. San Diego
4. Santa Barbara
5. Santa Rosa
6. Sacramento
7. Los Angeles
8. Vallejo & Fairfield
9. Salinas
10. Modesto
11. Fresno
12. Visalia
13. Stockton
14. Bakersfield

For the first time this year, U.S. News added methodology to measure a place’s strengths and weaknesses. The desirability index takes into consideration the number of days a year the temperature falls from 33 to 89 degrees Fahrenheit, and an establishment-to-population ratio, which assesses the number of restaurants, bars and activities per 1,000 people.

Also this year, U.S. News moved its net migration category to the desirability index. And the value index, which previously focused only on housing affordability, now includes price parity — a U.S. Census data point on the general cost of goods within an area.

“This year’s rankings are a reflection of the current economic, social and natural factors that impact a place’s livability for its residents,” Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, said in a news release.

“People are considering more than housing when they look at an area’s affordability — they want to know how much goods cost in that area,” Thorsby said. “The ever-present risk for severe weather and a community’s ability to recover — coupled with the area’s opportunities for social activities — are also taken into account when evaluating a best place to live.”

This year, Green Bay, Wisconsin, moved up two positions in the ranking to No. 1, due to its strong value and quality of life scores. Huntsville, Alabama, moved down to No. 2. At No.8, Charlotte, North Carolina, moved up 20 spots, and No. 6 Naples, Florida, re-entered the Top 10 after falling off last year.

1. Green Bay, WI
2. Huntsville, AL
3. Raleigh & Durham, NC
4. Boulder, CO
5. Sarasota, FL
6. Naples, FL
7. Portland, ME
8. Charlotte, NC
9. Colorado Springs, CO
10. Fayetteville, AR

There were no California cities in the top 10. One California city, San Jose, No. 13, made it into the top 2o, and San Francisco, No. 45, made it into the top 50.

Some places saw double-digit drops and fell out of the top 50. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, fell a steep 81 spots this year, coming in at 113 from 32, with lower scores across the index.

Seattle, Washington, saw an increase in its job market score, but declines in its quality of life, desirability and value scores resulted in a 45-spot drop in this year's ranking. Consequently, Seattle came in at No. 81, down from No. 36 last year. Kalamazoo, Michigan, saw a sharp drop, falling 40 spots from No. 50 to No. 90. While it only slightly decreased in value, it scored on the moderate/lower end of desirability and job market.

U.S. News based its ranking on data from the National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Census Bureau, the FBI, the Labor Bureau, Sharecare, and its own rankings on the nation’s best high schools and best hospitals.