The job of ranking the best cities in the U.S. and around the world is a massive undertaking. Resonance—advisors in tourism, urban and economic development for countries, cities and communities—produces one of the most thorough and respected rankings each year due to its unique methodology that incorporates everything from stats to social media. This year, the rankings feature perception-based data for the first time, through a new partnership with market research and polling firm Ipsos. The results are in, and while the number one city may not surprise anyone, the remaining top ten—and top 100—cities reveal just which spots around the country where Americans aspire to live and the ones that live up to those expectations.
First, a bit about methodology: Resonance analyzes an eclectic mix of data that includes everything from the number of Fortune 500 companies, cost of living and ease of getting to the airport to the availability of outdoor recreation opportunities, number of nightlife experiences, volume of check-ins on Facebook and number of mentions on Instagram. On top of that, the survey by Ipsos polled 2,000 adults for their thoughts on where they would like to live one day, places they’d like to visit and cities they think have the best job opportunities. All of this info was synthesized to give cities with a population of 500,000 or more a Place Power Score based on Livability, Lovability and Prosperity
Now, to the good stuff. The best city in America for 2024 is, once again, New York City. NYC has come out on top every year since the inaugural ranking. The city is booming, with new shows, hotels and parks. Real estate may be at a record high, but tourism is on the upswing and there’s never a shortage of things to do in the city.
Following NYC on the list of the top 10 best cities in America are Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Boston, D.C., Seattle and Houston. Nine more cities in California—San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Oxnard, Riverside, Fresno and Modesto—made the Top 100 list, the most of any state. To view the full list of the best cities in the U.S. and their Place Power Scores, visit BestCities.us.
Interested in more rankings? Resonance will release Asia’s Best Cities (a new ranking) on September 3, World’s Best Cities on October 22 and World’s Best Countries (another new ranking) on January 13, 2025.