Leander Ranked Among The Best Small Towns In America

LEANDER, TX — Leander may never be among the nation's biggest cities, nor will it likely ever be labeled as a metropolis. But it's got one big dynamic in its favor as one of the nation's best small cities as outlined in a recent report.

Researchers at the personal finance site WalletHub released its 2019 Best Small Cities in America, which assessed metros with populations between 25,000 and 100,000. To that end, WalletHub analysts compared more than 1,200 U.S. cities based on 42 key indicators of livability ranging from housing costs to school-system quality to restaurants per capita.

Based on that criteria, Leander emerged as among the best small cities in the U.S. Here's how the city fared among the various studied categories.

• Total Score: 67.63
• Affordability: 67
• Economic Health: 30
• Education & Health: 403
• Quality of Life: 952
• Safety: 196

The study analyzed more than 1,200 cities across the nation based on 42 key indicators of liveability, including home ownership rate, the number of performing arts centers in the area, job growth and more. Neighboring Cedar Park emerged as the 10th best small town in America.

Each relevant metric was listed with its corresponding weight and the cities were subsequently graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the maximum small city experience.

Leawood, Kansas, ranked as the best small city in the nation, according to WalletHub, followed by Brentwood, Tennessee and Sammamish, Washington. Conversely, Bessemer, Alabama, finished as the worst small city in the United States.

“Small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few advantages,” WalletHub researchers said in the report.

Here are the top 10 overall small cities in the country:

1. Leawood, Kansas: 71.98
2. Brentwood, Tennessee: 71.53
3. Sammamish, Washington: 71.34
4. Melrose, Massachusetts: 70.7
5. Carmel, Indiana: 70.59
6. Lexington, Massachusetts: 70.55
7. Milton, Massachusetts: 70.46
8. Brookfield, Wisconsin: 70.38
9. Fair Lawn, New Jersey: 70.25
10. Cedar Park, Texas: 69.98

To read the full report, click here.