Detroit Makes U.S. News’ ‘Best Places to Live’ List

DETROIT, MI — Detroit squeaked into U.S. News & World Report’s 100 Best Places to Live in the USA list released Tuesday, but barely. The Motor City came in at No. 89 on the list, with a composite score of 5.9 on a 10-point scale.

The annual ranking is based on the quality of life and the job market in each metro area, as well as the value of living there and people's desire to live there. Detroit ranks as #89 with an overall score of 5.9 out of 10. The lowest scores were in desirability and quality of life.

Once a bustling metropolis of about 2 million residents, Detroit fell on hard times in during the Great Recession, which resulted in industry and job losses, high crime rates and other economic problems, including the city’s historic Chapter 9 bankruptcy in 2013. Combined, those factors resulted in entire neighborhoods that have been abandoned. By 2012, the city’s population had dwindled to about 700,000 residents.

That’s changing though, and “Detroit currently sits on the edge of a renaissance,” U.S. News & World Report wrote. “Small businesses are once again setting up shop in the area, and new restaurants are luring suburbanites back to Motown.”

Read the full list here.
Read more about Detroit here.
Read about the methodology here.

Millennials are attracted to low-cost housing in the city center. While most living expenses, such as groceries and utilities, compare favorably with other cities, Detroiters can expect to pay more for home and car insurance due to the high crime rate.

Austin, Texas, topped the list of the 100 Best Places to Live in the USA, followed by Denver, Colorado; San Jose, California; Washington, D.C.; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Seattle, Washington; Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina; Boston, Massachusetts; Des Moines, Iowa; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

Detroit Scores

Desirability: 5.0

Value: 6.7

Job Market: 6.5

Quality of Life: 5.6

Net Migration: 5.1

Photo by Bryan Debus via Flickr Commons