San Diego 4th Best Big City To Live In, Study Says

SAN DIEGO, CA – San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States, but is it among the best large cities in which to live? According to WalletHub, it is.

America's Finest City is the fourth-best big city to live in, according to a new report by the finance website. The rankings were compiled by comparing the 62 largest U.S. cities across 50 key metrics.

San Diego was helped by having the third-lowest crime rate in the country, behind Virginia Beach and El Paso. San Diego also rated highly in economic factors, education and health, and quality of life.

On the other hand, San Diego only ranked 51st in affordability.

Economic criteria included things like the unemployment rate, share of the population living in poverty and debt per median earnings. Education and health included school and hospital quality, life expectancy and obesity rates. Quality of life involved commute times, parks and access to amenities like restaurants, performing arts centers and beaches.

Virginia Beach topped the list, followed by Seattle and Pittsburgh. Among California cities, San Jose was 10th; San Francisco 16th; Sacramento, 21st; Los Angeles, 29th; Riverside, 40th; Anaheim, 42nd; Oakland, 50th; Bakersfield, 51st; Santa Ana, 55th; Long Beach, 56th; and Fresno, 58th.

The worst city, according to the report? Detroit.

Click here to view the complete rankings.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Photo by peasap via flickr.com, used under Creative Commons