Three major Massachusetts cities were listed among the top 150 Best Places to Live in the U.S. 2023-2024 in a ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.
Cities that made it to the list required “good value, (had to) be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market and a high quality of life,” according to the report’s criteria.
Boston was ranked at 44, the only Massachusetts city to rest in the top 50. Listed ahead of Boston were cities like Syracuse at 22, Tampa at 24, Portland at 36 and Washington D.C. at 39. San Francisco was ranked right after Boston.
Cities were ranked based on desirability, value, job market, quality of life and migration indices. Boston received an overall rating of 6.4. It was also ranked as the 76th best place to retire, the 12th most expensive place to live and the 13th safest place to live.
Just after South Bend, Indiana, Worcester was ranked at 77 in terms of best places to live. The city ranked 8th for safety and ranked at 33 among the best places to retire. Overall, Worcester received a 6.3 rating, with quality of life receiving the highest mark at 7.1.
Springfield ranked at 108 overall, 10 places after New York City. It received an overall rating of 6.1, receiving the highest marks for quality of life at 6.8, followed by 5.8 for value. Springfield ranked 32 for best places to retire.
Towards the bottom of the ranking were several California cities, including Los Angeles at 139, Vallejo and Fairfield tied at 142, Salinas at 143, Modesto at 145, Fresno at 146, Visalia at 147, Stockton at 148 and Bakersfield at 149.