20,275 places · 925 metros · 51 states · 2026-11-14

A clearer view of where to live.

Rent, pay, jobs, schools and safety for every place we track, from the same public sources and measured the same way.

TryNew York vs Los Angeles Salary needed in Los Angeles Best small towns

Median rent as a share of median household income

<20%20–2525–3030%+

Circle area is population

A city insight worth exploring

Evidence-backed distinctions beyond a list of averages.

The story in Verona is how fast things are changing. Population change slowed in the latest estimate: +0.4% from 2024 to 2025, against +4.6% a year before that. Also notable: OpenStreetMap shows 56.5 parks per 10,000 residents, more than in 99% of places its size.

See the evidence for Verona, WI

Start where you are

Not sure where yet?Set a budget and choose what matters. Get a shortlist with evidence and trade-offs.Find places that fit Down to two or three?Every measure side by side, who comes out ahead, and by how much.Compare places Already moving?The salary you would need to keep the same standard of living, and where rent is heading.Salary calculator

Best places to live

The Citytistics Index uses seven transparent, weighted categories. These are its top places nationally, all in the top 1%.

Rank	Place	Factor composite
01	Verona, WI	Composite 84.9
02	Elm Grove, WI	Composite 83.3
03	Parkville, MO	Composite 82.8
04	Camp Hill, PA	Composite 82.6
05	Forest Hills, MI	Composite 82.4
06	East Grand Rapids, MI	Composite 81.5
07	La Crescent, MN	Composite 81.4
08	Gretna, NE	Composite 81.0

Change the weights and re-rank. The CTX formula is on the methodology page.

Where rent runs high relative to incomes

Annualized median rent divided by median household income, by metro. This comparison of two medians is not a measured renter burden.

Miami29.3% · $1,869 Cape Coral27.0% · $1,712 Orlando26.9% · $1,760 Tampa26.3% · $1,628 Santa Maria26.1% · $2,131 North Port25.9% · $1,747 Vallejo25.9% · $2,163 Los Angeles25.8% · $2,063 Las Vegas25.5% · $1,626 Port St. Lucie25.4% · $1,580

Ten metro areas with the highest ratio of median rent to median household income. Colours match the map bands. Rent is median gross rent, utilities included. See every ranking.

Rankings you can audit

Every list shows its formula. Move a slider and it re-ranks in front of you.

Best places to liveRanked by the Citytistics Index (CTX) by default. Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the list re-ranks.Most affordable placesRanked by rent and home prices relative to what households here earn.Safest placesRanked by reported violent crime per 100,000 residents.Best small townsPlaces under 50,000 people, ranked by the Citytistics Index (CTX) by default.Fastest-growing citiesRanked by growth: population growth since 2020 and yearly income growth, measured for each place itself.Where your paycheck goes furthestRanked by what the median household has left after the median rent, with every other price set to the US average.Where pay is outrunning rentRanked by yearly income growth minus yearly rent growth across the last five Census survey releases.Most affordable places in 2030Ranked by projected 2030 rent and home values against projected 2030 household income: where today's trends leave a typical household with the most room.Where home values are rising fastestRanked by the projected yearly growth of the median home value from the latest Census survey to 2030.Best places for familiesRanked on rent and home prices against pay, class sizes, homeownership, household size and poverty.

For teams and builders

The same numbers, by API and for AI assistants.

Relocation teams, agents, HR and app builders pull Citytistics data through a plain REST API and CSV exports. An MCP server for AI assistants is next.

Read the API docs See plans

GET /api/v1/places/new-york-new-york

{
  "name": "New York",
  "state": "NY",
  "median_gross_rent": 1821,
  "median_household_income": 80483,
  "rent_to_income_pct": 27.2,
  "sources": ["ACS 5-year B25064", "ACS 5-year B19013"]
}