Best Cities To Live In America: 1 Washington City Ranks In Top 10

It’s always nice to receive a little positive recognition.

The financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St. recently released its “America’s 50 Best Cities To Live” rankings for 2020, and just one Washington city landed a spot on the list: Mercer Island.

Mercer Island

• Ranking: 9th
• Population: 24,492
• Five-year population change: +9.4%
• Median household income: $142,413
• Five-year average unemployment rate: 3.6%

24/7 Wall St writes:

"The only city in Washington state to rank on this list, Mercer Island is a municipality on an island in Lake Washington, in between the cities of Seattle and Bellevue. Though the cost of living on the island, particularly housing, is higher than average, area residents also have relatively high incomes. The typical Mercer Island household earns $142,413 a year, more than double the national median household income of $60,293.

The island also boasts a range of cultural and entertainment options, with a far greater than average per capita concentration of places like restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, and museums."

To identify the best U.S. cities to live in, the financial news site created an index of 25 measures across four main categories: affordability, economy, quality of life and community.

Data pertaining to these categories was then pulled from multiple sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The full methodology for the rankings is available at 24/7 Wall St.

The report ranks Manhattan Beach, California, as the best city in the nation to live in, followed by Winnetka, Illinois, and Hanover, New Hampshire.

“It is important to note that there is no such thing as a perfect city or town, and that many of the attributes one may look for in a community are subjective and not quantifiable,” authors of the 24/7 Wall St. rankings wrote. “This list favors areas with conditions that have almost universal appeal, however.”

Here are the top 10 U.S. cities to live in:

1. Manhattan Beach, California
2. Winnetka, Illinois
3. Hanover, New Hampshire
4. Highland Park, Texas
5. Piedmont, California
6. Paradise Valley, Arizona
7. Solana Beach, California
8. Newport Beach, California
9. Mercer Island, Washington
10. Greenwood Village, Colorado