Jun 2, 2022 - News
Seattle tumbles in latest "Best Places" rankings
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Seattle has fallen out of the Top 20 in the latest rankings of U.S. News and World Report's Best Places to Live.
By the numbers: Seattle now ranks 36th on the publication's best places to live list for 2022–23.
- That's 17 spots lower than where we ranked last year (19th).
- The rankings cover the 150 most populated metro areas nationwide.
Zoom out: Topping this year's list is Huntsville, Alabama, up from No. 3 last year.
- Rounding out the Top 5 are Colorado Springs, Colo. (6th last year); Green Bay, Wis. (21), Boulder, Colo. (1) and San Jose, Calif. (36).
The big picture: Once a perennial favorite on such livability lists, Seattle's shine has worn off among the list-makers in recent years.
- High housing costs are one factor of this year's decline, with Seattle climbing among the ranks of most expensive cities to live in the United States.
- Aside from housing affordability, data about a city's quality of life, desirability, job market and migration of new residents factor into an overall score and ranking.
Yes, but: Seattle's drop in the rankings this year wasn't the steepest.
- Cities in Colorado and Florida plunged the farthest in the Top 100, with Denver, Colo. falling from 14 to 55 and Ft. Meyers, Fla. plummeting from 57 to 100.
- Two other Northwest cities also took a dive, with Eugene, Ore. dropping 54 spots to 119, and Salem, Ore. falling 61 spots to No. 123.
Our thought bubble: If a slide down the list means slowing Seattle's torrid stream of new residents and soaring home prices in recent years, we'll take it!