This GA Town Named No. 1 Best Place To Live Nationally, U.S. News Says

GEORGIA — Six towns in Georgia are among the 250 best places to live, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report that looks at value, desirability, job markets and the quality of life in U.S. cities.

Those in Georgia named to the Best Places to Live In the U.S. in 2025-26 are:

• Johns Creek, No. 1
• Alpharetta, No. 24
• Roswell, No. 52
• Dalton, No. 147
• Smyrna, 158
• Warner Robins, No. 176

About top-ranked Johns Creek, the editors said: "About 82,725 people live in Johns Creek, and the median age here is 43.0. The median household income in Johns Creek is $161,297, and the average commute time is about 39.0 minutes. The unemployment rate here is 3.59%. If you want to buy a house in Johns Creek, the median home price here is $528,355."

This year, U.S. News expanded its data to evaluate more than 850 cities to publish the 250 best places, up from 150 in years prior. The new data considerations and the expansion of evaluated cities resulted in a new top 10 for the 2025-2026 year, with Johns Creek taking No. 1 due to its strong job market and desirability scores.

“The expansion of the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings gives consumers a more detailed view into what it’s like to live somewhere at the community level, enabling them to consider more options for potential places to settle down,” Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report, said in a news release.

The full top 10 are:
1. Johns Creek, Georgia
2. Carmel, Indiana
3. Pearland, Texas
4. Fishers, Indiana
5. Cary, North Carolina
6. League City, Texas
7. Apex, North Carolina
8. Leander, Texas
9. Rochester Hills, Michigan
10. Troy, Michigan

The cities were determined based on a methodology that takes into account the city’s job market, value, quality of life and desirability.

Related:

• 8 GA Towns Ranked Among Best Places to Live In America
• 17 GA Colleges Ranked Among Top In U.S. For 2025
• Here Are The Best GA Towns To Raise A Family, New Survey Says
• Here Are The Most Affordable Places To Retire In GA, Forbes Says
• GA’s Best Schools 2024: Rankings For High Schools, Elementary, College

U.S. News said measures were weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the country to find what qualities they consider important in a place to live. The news outlet also used its own internal research data, as well as data from U.S. agencies, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“While quality of life remains the top priority for many Americans – and has the heaviest weight in determining the Best Places to Live rankings – U.S. News slightly adjusted its weights to increase priority for a location’s job market amid heightened economic uncertainty,” Giovanetti said.

The 859 cities analyzed for the 2025-2026 were then ranked within state-specific rankings.

“This year’s release celebrates the top 250 places that meet consumer needs best, but also offers the ability to view top-ranked cities in states of their choice," Giovanetti said.

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