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You’ll Never Guess Which City Was Just Named the Most Livable in the U.S.

With hybrid work schedules and fully remote positions now the norm in many industries, gone are the days of having to reside where you work. Yup, now lots of us can pick and choose where we want to be, which means livability factors are more critical than ever before. And to help with this weighty decision, the team at the apartment-search website RentCafe has just released its 2026 report of the top 10 most livable metro areas in the United States.

When you’re looking for the best place to live, work and raise a family, affordability is often top of mind. That’s true whether you’re renting or buying your own home (that’s right, the RentCafe report is not just for renters!). But determining livability goes beyond dollars and cents: It also includes finding a strong sense of community and a high quality of life.

Whether you’re pondering a new job or just looking for a change of scene, we’ve got all the details from the report coming up. Keep reading to learn which city earned the top spot in the nation for livability.

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How did the report determine the most livable cities?

First, RentCafe carved out metro areas across the U.S. that have at least 300,000 residents, using 149 of them for their analysis. To figure out which of these largest cities were the most livable, they then looked at 17 individual metrics within three broad categories: socioeconomics, quality of life and location and community.

Each of the 17 metrics was scored based on a minimum and maximum value multiplied by the metric’s weight. RentCafe weighted socioeconomic factors at 20% and the other two categories, quality of life and location and community, at 40% each.

Here are the specifics within each of the three categories:

  • Socioeconomics: Cost of living; income inequality; and unemployment, poverty and income growth rates
  • Quality of life: Food environment index; opportunities for exercise; physical inactivity; uninsured residents; ratio of health-care providers; and number of poor mental and physical health days reported
  • Location and community: Commuting distances; share of housing problems; number of highly educated residents; access to arts, entertainment and recreation venues; and social association rate (aka things to do and join)

What’s the most livable city in America?

It’s Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital! This mid-Atlantic metropolis made big strides in this year’s report, vaulting from the No. 7 spot to the tippy top in 2026. Alas, one city had to be displaced by D.C.’s success—and it was the perennially hip Portland, Maine. This New England hot spot now has to settle for second place.

What makes Washington, D.C., such a great place to live?

Washington, D.C., is so livable because it achieved the No. 1 ranking in two of the three categories: quality of life and location and community. By killing it in these areas, D.C. was able to offset its low socioeconomic ranking (#133!) and still come out on top. Yup, the rent’s (still) too damn high there.

Here are the major reasons Washington has the best, most livable metro area in the U.S.:

Wellness spending

Our country’s capital is putting big money—to the tune of $400 million—behind improving the city’s downtown area over the next five years. Included in these investments are aspects that will specifically enhance wellness for residents, such as walkways for pedestrians, more green spaces to enjoy and better public safety.

Top-notch networking

If you’re a professional who likes to mix and mingle, there’s no better place to do it than Washington. The reason? This metro area offers more than 2,000 membership associations (double the No. 2 location), creating networking opportunities at every turn.

A healthy, cultured focus

Staying fit and trim is easy-breezy in D.C., thanks to the diverse and plentiful health-care providers its residents enjoy, as well as access to many parks and athletic fields. And Washington has a large number of people with higher education under their belt who get to pop into all kinds of museums, arts centers and historic landmarks too.

What other cities ranked highly in the U.S.?

The other cities that ranked as highly livable all share a distinct feature—their location in the Midwest. Indeed, America’s Heartland, which includes Kansas City, Missouri, in third place and Des Moines, Iowa, in fourth, wins the overall livability contest with the most metro areas (six) in the top 20. The Northeast and West are tied with five each.

Here’s the full top 10 list of the most livable cities in the U.S.:

  • Washington, D.C.
  • Portland, Maine
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Des Moines, Iowa
  • Ann Arbor, Michigan
  • Albany, New York
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Asheville, North Carolina
  • Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
  • Boise, Idaho

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Sources:

  • RentCafe: “Searching for the best place to move in 2026? These are the most livable metro areas in the US”
  • Washington Business Journal: “D.C. pitches $400M plan to revive downtown”

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The post You’ll Never Guess Which City Was Just Named the Most Livable in the U.S. appeared first on Reader's Digest.



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