Housing News

These Are the 10 Best Small Cities in America in 2024 (And the Worst Ones Too)

October 2, 2024

Those looking to escape the grind of big city life but aren’t ready to give up all the perks of urban living, may want to consider moving to one of the nation’s top small cities.

Carmel, Ind., a city of about 100,000 residents about 20 minutes north of Indianapolis, was named the best small city in America in 2024, according to a WalletHub report.

The city boasts a low unemployment rate, a reasonable cost of living, and has one of the lowest rates of residents in fair or poor health, according to the WalletHub analysis.

“Moving from a bustling metropolis to a small city could drastically cut down your cost of living,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement. “On top of that, the best small cities offer strong job markets, high-quality education, good health care, safe living conditions and plenty of local flair to help you achieve a high quality of life.”

However, the housing market in Carmel is competitive. The median sale price for a home in Carmel was $511,000 in August, according to Redfin. That was considerably higher than the national median price tag of $434,050 in August.

Homes in Carmel spent just 11 days on the market, according to Redfin.

To come up with its findings, WalletHub looked at more than 1,300 cities with between 25,000 and 100,000 residents and then analyzed each city’s affordability; economic health; education and health; quality of life; and safety. This includes housing costs, crime rates, and local amenities.

“While small cities may lack some advantages of big cities, like robust public transportation systems, they make up for these shortcomings in other areas,” Lupo said in a statement.

What is the worst small city in America?

On the flip side, WalletHub named Isla Vista, Calif. the worst small city in 2024. The city earned low marks for affordability and economic health.

Isla Vista also had the highest housing costs, the second-to-worst homeownership rate, and one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, according to WalletHub.

The median home sale price in the metro was $1.85 million in August, according to Redfin.

The rest of the top 10 worst small cities were Bessemer, Ala.; Wasco, Calif.; West Memphis, Ark.; Monroe, La.; Greenville, Miss.; Alexandria, La.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; Petersburg, Va.; and Jacksonville, Ark.