With the COVID-19 pandemic spurring some Americans to migrate out of big cities, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s Best Small Cities in America, as well as accompanying videos.
To help Americans put down roots in places offering good quality of life and affordability, WalletHub compared more than 1,200 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across 43 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs and school-system quality to restaurants per capita and COVID-19 cases in the last seven days per 100,000 residents.| Top 20 Small Cities in America | |
| 1. Sammamish, WA | 11. Leawood, KS |
| 2. Lexington, MA | 12. Dublin, OH |
| 3. Carmel, IN | 13. Arlington, MA |
| 4. Needham, MA | 14. Princeton, NJ |
| 5. Sugar Land, TX | 15. Castle Rock, CO |
| 6. Milton, MA | 16. Westfield, IN |
| 7. Brentwood, TN | 17. Wheaton, IL |
| 8. Southlake, TX | 18. Kaysville, UT |
| 9. Cedar Park, TX | 19. Mason, OH |
| 10. Redmond, WA | 20. Fishers, IN |
Best vs. Worst
- Southlake, Texas, has the highest median annual household income, $230,700, which is 10.5 times higher than in Carbondale, Illinois, the city with the lowest at $22,025.
- Oswego, Illinois, has the lowest share of the population living in poverty, 1.20 percent, which is 38.2 times lower than in Carbondale, Illinois, the city with the highest at 45.80 percent.
- East Lansing, Michigan, has the fewest average hours worked per week, 28.90, which is 1.7 times fewer than in Fort Hood, Texas, the city with the most at 48.10.
- Castle Rock and Parker, Colorado, have the lowest share of adults in fair or poor health, 8.12 percent each, which is 4.3 times lower than in Eagle Pass, Texas, the city with the highest at 35.17 percent.
