2018 Best Places To Live: 8 PA Cities Make US News Rankings

Eight Pennsylvania cities have been named on U.S. News & World Report's "Best Places to Live" list for 2018. The highest-ranking Pennsylvania city is Lancaster, which came in 32nd overall. Harrisburg was next, coming in 45th. Philadelphia made the list, coming in at 98th.

Here are the eight Pennsylvania cities included in the list, which was released today (Tuesday, April 10):

Lancaster (32nd)
Harrisburg (45th)
Pittsburgh (57th)
Reading (73rd)
York (85th)
Allentown (97th)
Philadelphia (98th)
Scranton (103rd)

Here's what U.S. News & World Report had to say about our state's top-ranked city:

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, offers a balance between natural and commercial spaces that residents appreciate. Expansive farms rub elbows with manicured suburbs, which lead right into the bustling city. A short drive can take one through each of these environments. Each area boasts its own unique groups of inhabitants: farmers, families, college students and young professionals. From close-knit church communities to the indie coffee shop scene, Lancaster holds something for everyone.

Overall, Austin, Texas, was named the No. 1 best place to live for the second consecutive year. Colorado Springs, Colorado, took the No. 2 spot, bumping Denver, Colorado, to No. 3, and Des Moines, Iowa, came in at No. 4. Fayetteville, Arkansas, came in at No. 5 for the second year in a row. Rounding out the top 10 were Portland, Oregon; Huntsville, Alabama; Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Seattle, Washington.

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To come up with the 2018 Best Places to Live ranking, U.S. News looked at data from the Census Bureau, FBI and Department of Labor. The various qualities residents look for — for example, the job market, affordability and quality of life — were weighted according to the results of the of a public survey in which 2,500 random internet users in 125 metro areas were asked where they would prefer to live.

“When deciding on a place to settle down, it’s important to understand that where a person lives can impact their well-being,” Kim Castro, executive editor at U.S. News, said in a news release. “U.S. News created the Best Places to Live to highlight areas across the country that have the characteristics residents are looking for, including steady job growth and affordability. The top-ranked places are areas where citizens can feel the most fulfilled socially, physically and financially.”

Several cities were newcomers to the top 10, including Portland, which saw the largest jump in desirability of all cities on the list. Though the quality of life, net migration and job market rankings in Minneapolis didn’t change, more survey respondents expressed a desire to move their than they have in previous years.

U.S. News said one of the biggest surprises was Huntsville, which has the second-largest research park in the country in Cummings Research Park, which houses several major employers, including Science Applications International Corp., Northrop Grumman Corp. and the University of Alabama, all of which offer jobs in the burgeoning science, technology, engineering and math fields. The U.S. Army also employs a number of residents at Redstone Arsenal, where NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is located. Huntsville also boasts the highest value score out of all the places on the list.

Read the full list here.

Image: Michael Crabb for DiscoverLancaster.com