Sammamish Named One Of America's Best Small Cities In 2022

SAMMAMISH, WA — Three Seattle suburbs featured high in new rankings released this week, highlighting America's best small cities.

WalletHub's 2022 Best Small Cities To Live in America list focused on 1,319 U.S. cities with between 25,000 and 100,000 residents, consulting 43 metrics to assign an overall score based on each area's affordability, economic strength, education and health, quality of life and safety.

"Not everyone craves the bright lights and crowded space of big cities," WalletHub wrote Tuesday. "In fact, nearly half of Americans (46%) say they would prefer to live in the suburbs, compared to 19% for urban areas and 35% for rural communities. Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few of its advantages."

According to WalletHub, quality of life scores include metrics like restaurants per capita and average commute times, while economic indicators include factors like job growth and poverty rates.

Read more about WalletHub's methodology here.

Sammamish was the lone West Coast representative in WalletHub's top 20, ranking 12th overall and in the 99th percentile of all cities analyzed. Redmond wasn't far behind, placing 21st, followed by Issaquah at 37th to round out the top 50. Mercer Island and Kirkland also placed on the higher end, while Yakima, Lakewood and Spanaway posted Washington's lowest scores in the rankings.

Here are WalletHub's top 15 Best Small Cities To Live In America for 2022:

1. Lancaster, Pennsylvania (Total score: 71.04)
2. Carmel, Indiana (Total score: 70.91)
3. Fair Lawn, New Jersey (Total score: 70.59)
4. Lexington, Massachusetts (Total score: 70.58)
5. Brentwood, Tennessee (Total score: 70.57)
6. Melrose, Massachusetts (Total score: 70.42)
7. Zionsville, Indiana (Total score: 69.9)
8. Needham, Massachusetts (Total score: 69.88)
9. Portland, Maine (Total score: 69.82)
10. Westfield, Indiana (Total score: 69.8)
11. Milton, Massachusetts (Total score: 69.72)
12. Sammamish, Washington (Total score: 69.7)
13. Dublin, Ohio (Total score: 69.31)
14. Brookfield, Wisconsin (Total score: 69.23)
15. Leawood, Kansas (Total score: 69.06)

>> Check out the full report on WalletHub's website.