If you’re looking for a family atmosphere, Pittsburgh is among the top 25 best places in the U.S.
That’s according to the U.S. News and World Report’s recently released list of best places to live for families in America in 2023-24.
The ranking lists the Steel City as No. 13 and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as No. 20.
To determine the best place for families to live, U.S. News focused on three main categories of data from last year — affordability, quality of life and job market opportunities — and weighted them equally. The affordability category takes into account median income and housing cost data from the U.S. Census Bureau as well as the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ price parity index to make comparisons across regions with different costs of living.
In determining quality of life, the publication looked at things like crime rate data from the FBI, Census Bureau data on commute times and Environmental Protection Agency measurements of air quality. In scrutinizing job markets, U.S. News looked at unemployment rate and average salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The ranking said the following about Pittsburgh, “At No. 47 on the overall Best Places to Live list, Pittsburgh is another metro area that is particularly attractive for families because of the low cost of living – residents need just 20.1% of the median household income for housing. Additionally, Pittsburgh’s rates of property crime, violent crime and murder are low – ranking No. 30 out of the 150 places on the list in that category.”
The list also says Pittsburgh has a median home price of $203,150 and an average annual salary of $56,060.
The publication’s list of best places for families is an outgrowth of its list of best places to live around the country, which was released in May.
Here are the top 25 best places for families, according to U.S. News’ new report:
25. Boise, Idaho
24. Cincinnati
23. Davenport-Bettendorf, Iowa, and Moline-Rock Island, Illinois (Quad Cities)
22. Washington, D.C.
21. Rochester, New York
20. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
19. Portland, Maine
18. Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina
17. Buffalo, New York
16. Ann Arbor, Michigan
15. Hickory, North Carolina
14. Omaha, Nebraska
13. Pittsburgh
12. Syracuse, New York
11. Madison, Wisconsin
10. Lincoln, Nebraska
9. Fort Wayne, Indiana
8. Grand Rapids, Michigan
7. Albany, New York
6. Des Moines, Iowa
5. Minneapolis-St. Paul
4. Fayetteville, Arkansas
3. Green Bay, Wisconsin
2. San Jose, California
1. Huntsville, Alabama
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