Richmond ranks 36th of cities Americans want to call home
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios
Richmond was named multiple times in an open-ended survey asking Americans where in the U.S. they'd like to live.
Why it matters: The survey didn't have a drop-down or multiple-choice option — respondents actually typed in Richmond as their choice.
The big picture: The findings come from the 2025 America's Best Cities report by Resonance, a marketing and branding firm.
- Resonance worked with Ipsos to ask about 2,000 people nationwide to name the top three U.S. towns or cities they'd most like to live in someday.
- And enough of them did that our little East Coast town ranked as the 36th most livable place in the nation — out of 100 options.
- New York, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego and Chicago took the top five spots.
- But Richmond way outranked Virginia Beach (No. 64).
Zoom in: Along with our stellar livability ranking, Richmond was No. 33 in "perceived prosperity" (think: major employers, unemployment, education attainability).
- Richmond came in at No. 52, sadly, for "lovability" perception, which "speaks to the relative vibrancy" of a city. That stat was measured by asking people to name the top three places they'd like to visit in the next year or two.
Zoom out: The marketing firm also did its own "best cities" rankings based on hard metrics like GDP and unemployment as well as softer indicators, like TripAdvisor reviews and Instagram activity.
- Their rankings put New York, L.A. and Chicago on top, and Richmond at No. 43 for livability, No. 51 for lovability and No. 41 for prosperity.
The intrigue: Richmond's highest rankings by the firm were for labor force (No. 26), educational attainment (No. 28) and museums (No. 29).
- Richmond was ranked poorly for poverty rate (No. 81), nightlife (No. 77) and housing affordability (No. 71).
What they're saying: "Emerging from its pandemic slumber, the river city has leaned into its quiet boom," the authors of the ranking wrote, highlighting CoStar's new office tower and CarMax Park as noteworthy signs of Richmond's boom.
- Both are slated to open next year.
The bottom line: In the words of the rankings, "mellow and understated by design, Richmond keeps spreading out — and up."