Pensacola jumps 16 spots on U.S. News' Best Places to Live 2023-2024 list. Where it ranked:

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
Updated ·3 min read
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Pensacola was spotlighted in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-2024 Best Places to Live in the country’s list, which ranks the country’s top 150 most populous metropolitan areas.

Each year, U.S. News, a global authority in rankings and consumer advice, publishes a list ranking the cities based on value, desirability, job market and quality of life.

Last year, Pensacola made the No. 44 spot on this list. In 2023, it jumped up 16 spots landing at No. 28. It was among 13 other Florida cities that ranked as high as No. 5 (Sarasota).

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U.S. News writes that Pensacola’s “white-sand beaches, breathtaking sunsets and emerald green waters are often cited as reasons newcomers fall in love with the Pensacola area,” adding that “beyond the world-famous beaches is a rich cultural heritage displayed through historical architecture, diverse festivals and a fine arts scene.”

This year, U.S. News expanded its data points to better encapsulate a place’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition to a survey that determines whether people want to live in a given metro, the Desirability Index now includes weather temperateness, which evaluates the number of days annually when the temperature falls between 33 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit. And it includes an establishment-to-population ratio, which assesses the number of restaurants, bars and activities per 1,000 residents.

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Pensacola is just one of 13 other Florida cities that ranked in U.S. News’ list. Here’s a look at the rest:

What methodology does U.S. News & World Report to rank its Best Places to Live list?

U.S. News & World Report uses a methodology that takes the following factors into account:

  • The value of living there

  • The quality of life

  • The health of the job market

  • Whether people want to live there

  • Whether people are actually moving there

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When determining the importance of each factor, the site polls about 3,500 internet users from across the country. The weightings in the methodology are a direct reflection of the responses U.S. News receives from the survey.

The same approach is used when calculating the Desirability Index.

U.S. News adjusted its indexes this year to reflect current factors influencing a person’s choice of where to live. Some new data points introduced this year include:

Desirability expansion: The 2023-2024 edition added weather temperateness, net migration and establishments-to-population ratio to the site’s survey of the Desirability Index.

Value expands to encapsulate total cost of living: Data points used to assess a place’s affordability beyond housing costs were expanded. The Value Index now includes price parity, which is a review of the price of general goods in a location compared to the national average.

Quality of Life considers weather factors: A severe weather risk and resilience score was added to the Quality of Life Index. This score not only measures location-based severe weather risk, but also the local government’s resilience and the financial capability of residents to recover after a natural disaster.

Where did the data come from?

In addition to the information sourced from its surveys, U.S. News collects data from a number of government and nongovernmental sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Report, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Sharecare Community Well-Being Index, FEMA National Risk Index, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Bureau of Economic Analysis.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola ranks in U.S. News’ Best Places to Live 2023-2024 list