Living in a major city has its advantages, such as greater career opportunities, diverse entertainment and cultural options, easy access to quality healthcare and education, and a wider variety of social experiences.
However, for people looking for a lower cost of living, particularly for housing, a reduced crime rate, a more peaceful, close-knit community, less traffic and pollution, and greater access to nature, living in a smaller city is the best way to go.
This slower pace of life can lead to lower stress levels and a stronger sense of belonging, but not all small cities in America are created equal, so where are the best ones to live in?
A study was recently done to find the best small cities in America to call home, and one city in Wisconsin ranked extremely high. In fact, it is now the second-best small city in America for several reasons.
Determining The Best Small Cities In America
To determine the best small cities in America, WalletHub compared 1,318 cities across five key dimensions:
Affordability
Economic Health
Education & Health
Quality of Life
Safety.
For its sample, only cities with population sizes between 25,000 and 100,000 were considered, and only the “city proper” in each case was included, excluding cities in the surrounding metropolitan area.
Then, it evaluated the five dimensions using 45 relevant metrics, such as cost of living, homeownership rate, unemployment rate, income growth, quality of school system, number of entertainment options, access to healthy foods, violent crime rate, etc.
Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for small-city residents.
Finally, they determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Brookfield Is Now The Second-Best Small American City To Live In
Brookfield, Wisconsin, is a city located in eastern Waukesha County, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, situated about 15 miles west of the city of Milwaukee. In 2024, it had a population of 41,268, and according to this study, it is now the second-best small city to live in.
Among the reasons it ranks so high are:
It has a 2.7% unemployment rate, one of the lowest in the country. In addition, only 3.5% of the city’s population lives in poverty, the 14th-lowest percentage among the more than 1,300 cities in the study.
Brookfield residents also have the 110th-highest homeownership rate in the country, along with the 10th-best median credit score. At 782, the median credit score is far into the excellent credit range.
Brookfield residents enjoy good health. The city has the 21st-lowest share of residents in fair or poor health, and over 98% of the population has health insurance, the 12th-highest percentage in the nation.
Brookfield also has the 36th-lowest percentage of adults with no leisure time, and experts say that having adequate leisure time is beneficial for your mental health.
Brookfield demonstrates safety with the 128th-lowest violent crime rate and 17th-lowest pedestrian fatality rate in the country.
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If you’re wondering which small city ranked as the best in America, that would be Carmel, Indiana, a suburb located just north of Indianapolis in Hamilton County, in central Indiana.