Community Corner

Needham Ranked Among Nation's Best Small Cities

WalletHub evaluated thousands of cities across America to compile its '2015 Best & Worst Small Cities in America' report.

Massachusetts is home to one of the best small cities in America.

That’s according to a study recently conducted by WalletHub. The personal finance website conducted an in-depth analysis of over 1,000 cities with a population between 25,000 and 100,000 for its 2015’s Best & Worst Small Cities in America report.

Needham was ranked among the nation’s best small cities, checking in at No. 171 out of 1,268.

Find out what's happening in Needhamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

WalletHub evaluated the cities using a data set of 22 key metrics that ranged from housing costs to school-system quality to the number of restaurants per capita.

Small cities are experiencing a growth rate that is more than twice that of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago and roughly 10 percent faster than the national rate since 2000, according to WalletHub.

Find out what's happening in Needhamfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Here’s how Needham ranked in four key categories:

“Affordability” Rank: 984

“Economic” Rank: 153

“Education & Health” Rank: 84

“Quality of Life” Rank: 512

Both Northampton and Milton checked in as the highest ranking Massachusetts cities, earning spots at No. 8 and 14 respectively.

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