This Is The Best City In Colorado To Live In

ACROSS COLORADO -- Centennial is the best city in Colorado to live in, according to a new list that ranks the best cities to reside in every state.

The list, compiled by 24/7 Wall Street, notes that a (relatively) low cost of living and high incomes in Centennial "contribute to widespread prosperity in the area." Centennial, pop. 109,935, is ranked in the study as the second-most livable city in the country, after Carmel, Indiana.

"The city is relatively new, only incorporating in 2001, and it has been growing at a healthy rate. The city’s population has increased by 7.1 percent in the last five years, nearly double the U.S. population growth rate over that time," 24/7 Wall Street writes. "The typical Centennial household earns $102,237 a year, and only 2.7 percent of the population lives in poverty. In comparison, the typical American household earns only $57,617 a year, and 14.0 percent of Americans live in poverty."

The median home value in Centennial is $393,200, and more than 55 percent of adults have at least a bachelors degree.

Centennial also has among the lowest crime rates reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report. There were only 22 violent crimes reported for every 100,000 people in the city in 2016, a fraction of the U.S. violent crime rate of 386 incidents per 100,000 Americans.

Through its analysis, 24/7 Wall Street found that the majority of cities that made the list are home to a large share of college-educated adults than the share of college-educated adults nationwide (31.3 percent). Educated populations, 24/7 Wall Street writes, are more resilient to economic downturns.

Another trend noted by 24/7 Wall Street is that the violent crime rate for almost every city on the list is lower than the U.S. rate. The presence of cultural amenities and entertainment venues was another common factor for the cities.

To determine the best city to live in every state, 24/7 Wall Street considered the 550 cities with populations of 65,000 or more. If a state had no cities with a population of at least 65,000, all cities in the state with a population of 40,000 or more were considered.

Data was collected in nine categories:

1. Crime
2. Demography
3. Economy
4. Education
5. Environment
6. Health
7. Housing
8. Infrastructure
9. Leisure

24/7 Wall Street used data from Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Service, the FBI’s 2016 Uniform Crime Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and ATTOM Data Solutions. For each category, specific measures contributed to a city’s overall score.

See the full list from 24/7 Wall Street here.

Image via Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock