Characteristics of "Best" Cities
- According to a study from SafeWise and data from the FBI, the safest cities in the U.S. have an average population size of 117,000 people and only 0.51 sex offenders per 1,000 capita. The most dangerous cities, on the other hand, have an average of 321,000 people and upwards of 4.42 sex offenders per 1,000 capita.
- Data from Bloomberg suggests that cities with between 40-60% of the population having a college education are considered some of the most educated in the U.S.
Best Cities to Consider
- In terms of safety, some of the safest metro areas in the U.S. include Gilbert, AZ, Lexington, KY, and Raleigh, NC.
- Ann Arbor, MI has the greatest population of college-educated persons according to multiple sources.
Summary of Early Findings
Within our first area of research, we were able to identify a number of credible sources that cited some of the best cities in the U.S. to live in based off of a single factor, such as best cities to retire in, the best cities to raise children in, or best cities for warmer weather. Using these sources, we were then able to pick out cities that were mentioned multiple times, indicating that they may have a greater preference for being the "best." For these cities, we then conducted additional searches to understand the population size and demographics, crime rates, and other metrics about the area. This information was used to begin compiling our own list of "best" cities in the U.S. to live in based on all of these considerations.
In addition to this, we noted some interesting statistics about the relative population sizes of cities and other population demographics that tend to have. These findings suggested to us further requirements that could help define which cities are truly the "best" to live in.
Based on our early findings, we are confident that through additional research, we can compile a more comprehensive list of cities in the U.S. to consider living in based on the climate, crime rates, population demographics, walkability, and other positive factors. Additional requirements such as ideal population size and affordability may also help us to provide a more useful list.