4 MA Towns Ranked Among Best Places to Live In America

MASSACHUSETTS - 4 Massachusetts communities are among the Best Places to Live in America in 2025, according to a new ranking from Niche released Monday.

Now in its 11th year, the ranking from the data-driven platform Niche helps everyone from young people just starting their careers or families to retirees decide where they want to live. The report analyzes places of various sizes, including cities with populations of 100,000 or more, suburbs and neighborhoods.

In Massachusetts, the following towns were among the top 100 on the list:

• Brookline, #14
• Cambridgeport, #22
• Riverside, #56
• Cambridge, #77

Brookline, holding the highest spot within Massachusetts on the list, has long been a luxurious location. It avoided annexation by the city of Boston back in 1873. Now, it's the home of the famedfamed Coolidge Corner Theatre. Riverside, Cambridgeport and Cambridge itself are all neighborhoods within the Cambridge area on the north side of the Charles River.

Home to Harvard University, the Head of the Charles Regatta, the many lively Squares (Porter, Harvard, Central, you name it), the sprawling neighborhood has a cafe, or restaurant, or rooftop bar for every Harvard student that roams its notably safe streets.

See Also: MA Home Prices Likely To Jump In March, Warren Group Says

The rankings are based on a wide range of public data sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combined with millions of resident reviews.

Niche said it analyzed thousands of communities to compile this year’s ranking. Community attributes considered in developing the list included the health of the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools and walkability, among others. (More on methodology.)

According to the ranking, the five best places to live in the United States are: Colonial Village, VA; Atlantic Station, GA; Chesterbrook, PA; Harbour Island, FL; City Center, CA.