Providence metro 85th on 100 best metros to live list

THE DOWNCITY shopping district on Westminster Street in Providence. / COURTESY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT/LIZ LEE
THE DOWNCITY shopping district on Westminster Street in Providence. / COURTESY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT/LIZ LEE

PROVIDENCE – When it comes to the best places to live, Providence ranks 85th out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the country, according to a report released Wednesday by U.S. News & World Report.

Providence placed in the bottom 20 on the list with a score of 6 out of 10. It received a 5.4 in desirability, and 5.6 in value; its highest score was 6.6 in job market. It was the lowest-ranking metro in New England.

Boston ranked eighth; Portland, Maine, ranked 26th; Hartford, Conn., ranked 31st; Worcester, Mass., 54th; Springfield, Mass., 67th; and New Haven, Conn., 81st.

To make the top of the list, as Austin, Texas, did, a community has to have a good value, be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market and a high quality of life.

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Data on jobless rates, commute times, crime rates, cost of living, education and health care quality, net migration and median annual household income was used to come up with the rankings.

The rest of the top 10, in order? Denver; San Jose, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; Fayetteville, Ark.; Seattle; Raleigh and Durham, N.C.; Boston; Des Moines, Iowa; and Salt Lake City.
San Juan, Puerto Rico, was last on the list, and preceded by four California metros – Modesto, Stockton, Bakersfield and Fresno.

Providence is described by U.S. News as a “culturally diverse metro,” and home to well-known institutions such as Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design.

“Close-knit communities in the metro area’s various neighborhoods – whether it’s the artsy 20- and 30-somethings of the West Side, the upper-middle-class families of the East Side or the students on College Hill – are just one of many reasons folks find it easy to call Providence home,” U.S. News said.

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