A handful of midwestern cities just ranked high on a new list of the top 25 most affordable places to live America.
The new list, from U.S. News & World Report, evaluated cities based on the median gross rent and annual housing costs for mortgage-paying homeowners to find the ones with the lowest cost of living in the country, editors wrote. Ratings were created using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor and the outlet's own internal resources, the report said, in categories including crime rates, quality of education, well-being, commuter index and more.
The city that landed in No. 1 spot was a "midsize city in the heart of the Midwest:" Fort Wayne, Indiana.
"With its low cost of living and quiet neighborhoods, Fort Wayne, Indiana, can be a good place to buy a house, start a career, launch a business and raise children," the report said.
According to the report, Fort Wayne's median home price was $169,485, with a median household income of $71,507.
The next midwestern spot pops up on the list at No. 3: Wichita, Kansas, where the median home price is $173,799 and the median household income is $71,484, the report said.
Springfield, Missouri, landed in the No. 4 spot on the list, while Davenport, Iowa, landed at No. 5.
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At No. 8 on the list was Green Bay, Wisconsin.
"Green Bay has the perfect mix of big-city amenities complemented with a Midwestern, small-town feel," the report said. "This city boasts a thriving entertainment and arts scene, a revitalized downtown, and two college campuses, creating an energy that may appeal to young families and retirees."
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No cities from Illinois made the top 10, but two cracked the top 25.
Peoria was ranked at No. 16, while Rockford, which was named the "hottest housing market in America" by Wall Street Journal earlier this year, was ranked 20th.
The full ranking can be found here. The cities that made the list of 25 "Most Affordable Places to Live in the U.S." for 2024 are below:
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Hunstville, Alabama
- Wichita, Kansas
- Springfield, Missouri
- Davenport, Iowa
- Hickory, North Carolina
- Montgomery, Alabama
- Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Lexington, Kentucky
- Lafayette, Louisiana
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Brownsville, Texas
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Peoria, Illinois
- Louisville, Kentucky
- South Bend, Indiana
- Toledo, Ohio
- Rockford, Illinois
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- McAllen, Texas
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Dayton, Ohio
More details on the ranking and the cities selected on the list can be found here.
