NYC Among Worst Cities To Live In Nation, US News Report Finds

NEW YORK CITY — A new ranking of the best cities to live in the United States marked New York City high for its desirability and job prospects – but the inability for average citizens to afford a comfortable life left it low on the list.

The city is listed at number 118 of 150 metropolitan areas ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

The 2021-22 list measures the most populous cities based on affordability, job market and desirability. This year, researchers also looked at how the top communities fared throughout the pandemic and how much work is needed to recover.

"It shouldn’t be a surprise that many metro areas that saw unemployment levels skyrocket in 2020 fell in the rankings, but those with greater employment stability tended to fare well," Devon Thorsby, real estate editor at U.S. News, said in a news release.

New York City ranked the seventh most expensive place to live in the nation, with median home prices being $588,923, median rent $1,442 and the average annual salary $66, 983.

The median house price for the rest of the country is $315,743, U.S. News reported.

Overall, New York City received a score of 6.1 on a 10-point scale. Here’s a look at how the city measured up in each category:

• Job market: 7.0
• Value: 3.8
• Quality of life: 6.6
• Desirability: 8.5
• Net migration: 5.1

"The metro area is a place of opportunity, which is why – despite the crowds and costs – people keep coming," local expert Katrina Woznicki wrote in the U.S. News report. "Some of the world's best theaters, restaurants, museums, parks and cultural activities can be found here."

To determine which cities made the cut this year, U.S. News asked thousands of people across the country to share what factors are most important when choosing a place to live. Survey responses were categorized into five indexes: the value of living there, the quality of life, the health of the job market, whether people want to live there and whether people are actually moving there.

For the second consecutive year, Boulder, Colorado, was named the No. 1 place to live due to high quality of life, a robust job market and high desirability scores. Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, jumped nine spots to take No. 2 and Huntsville, Alabama, catapulted 12 spots to No. 3.

U.S. News also used data available from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Sharecare and the Bureau of Labor Statistics in its rankings.

Read more about the Best Places To Live methodology.

Pandemic-related unemployment played a big role in where cities landed on this year’s ranking. Some of the biggest changes include Boston, which fell 13 spots, and Las Vegas, which plummeted 50 spots. Meanwhile, San Diego fell 52 spots and Honolulu fell 42 spots.

To see where these and other cities ranked, check out the full list of 2021’s Best Places To Live.