Indianapolis climbs 17 spots, still falls outside top 30 on U.S. News Best Places to Live

After two straight years stuck in the same middle-of-the-road spot, Indianapolis made a big jump toward the top of the annual U.S. News & World Report's Best Places to Live rankings.

But despite the upward mobility, the folks behind the list still say the Circle City doesn't have what it takes to crack the top 30.

According to the 2019 ranking released Tuesday, Indianapolis is the 38th best place to live in the United States, up 17 spots from the No. 55 ranking it held in 2018 and 2017. That puts it far above big cities and popular destinations like New York City (No. 90), Philadelphia (No. 102), Chicago (No. 104) and Miami (No. 113).

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It also makes Indianapolis the highest ranking Hoosier city. The next Indiana city on the list is Fort Wayne at No. 40.

Austin, Texas comes in at No. 1 for the third straight year, while Denver (No. 2) and Colorado Springs (No. 3) traded positions. Fayetteville, Ark. moves up one spot to No. 4, and Des Moines, Iowa drops one spot to No. 5.

Officials said the new list evaluates the country’s 125 most populous metropolitan areas based on a number of criteria. Each city receives an overall score, as well as scores for desirability, value, job market, quality of life and net migration. 

This year, Indianapolis had an overall score of 6.7/10. Indianapolis also received 5.8 for desirability; 8.1 for value; 6.9 for job market; 6.1 for quality of life; and 6.5 for net migration.

In 2018, Indianapolis had an overall score of 6.6/10.

"The city continues to attract young people with its job opportunities and low cost of living. Indianapolis also draws new residents from around the world," officials said in a statement. "It's not uncommon to hear foreign languages spoken on the streets, as some residents hail from Latin America, Europe and Asia. 

"Around 40 percent of metro area residents have a religious affiliation – many of them with the Catholic Church or an evangelical Protestant tradition."

Other metro areas joined Indianapolis with some significant gains year over year. San Francisco moved up from No. 20 to No. 7 due to desirability, quality of life and job market increases. The city has the highest desirability and job market scores among all cities.

Asheville, N.C. jumped eight spots to No. 16, and Sarasota, Fla. cracked the top 20 for the first time, going from No. 34 last year to No. 18 this year with the highest net migration score and increases in desirability, affordability, quality of life and job growth. 

“Our Northeastern cities, which are epicenters of higher education and economic development, are not growing nearly as much as places in Florida, California and Texas,” Devon Thorsby, real estate editor for U.S. News & World Report, said in a statement. “Plus, they are expensive to live in. Top-ranked places have the characteristics people are looking for, including steady job growth, affordability and a high quality of life.”

The 2019 Best Places to Live were determined in part using a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find out what qualities they consider important in a hometown, officials said.

The methodology also factors in data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as the U.S. News rankings of the Best High Schools and Best Hospitals.

Here are the top 10 best places to live in the U.S., according to the 2019 U.S. News & World Report ranking:

1. Austin, Texas

2. Denver, Colo.

3. Colorado Springs, Colo.

4. Fayetteville, Ark.

5. Des Moines, Iowa

6. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.

7. San Francisco, Calif.

8. Portland, Ore.

9. Seattle, Wash.

10. Raleigh & Durham, N.C.

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at 317-444-6138. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.