Sacramento makes U.S. News’ 2023 ‘Best Places to Live’ rankings. Here’s where we sit

Hanh Truong
·2 min read
29

Sacramento took a tumble as one of the best places to live in the United States, but at least we still beat Los Angeles?

For 2023, the U.S. News and World Report ranked metropolitan areas in the country as the Best Places to Live. It created a weighted assessment looking at data from the U.S. Census, FBI, U.S. Department of Labor and internal resources.

It considered factors such as quality of life, which includes crime rates, education quality and commuter index. The organization also assessed the affordability, desirability and job market of each city.

Fourteen California cities made it on the list of 150 places.

Of the 14, San Jose was the top California city to rank high, placing at No. 13. It’s followed by San Francisco at No. 45 and San Diego at No. 93.

Sacramento made it on the list at No. 127, beating Los Angeles which ranked No. 139. The capital city was at No. 122 last year. Los Angeles lost its place too, dropping from No. 128 in 2022.

Bakersfield rounds out the list of California cities at No. 149.

See the full list:

  • San Jose: 13 (down from 5th in 2022)

  • San Francisco: 45 (down 35 from 10th in 2022)

  • San Diego: 93 (up from 107th in 2022)

  • Santa Barbara: 124 (up from 126th in 2022)

  • Santa Rosa: 125 (up from 132nd in 2022)

  • Sacramento: 127 (down from 122nd in 2022)

  • Los Angeles: 139 (down from 128th in 2022)

  • Vallejo/Fairfield: 142 (unchanged from 2022)

  • Salinas: 143 (up from 144th in 2022)

  • Modesto: 145 (up one from 146th in 2022)

  • Fresno: 146 (down from 141st in 2022)

  • Visalia: 147 (up from 148th in 2022)

  • Stockton: 148 (up from 149th in 2022)

  • Bakersfield: 149 (down from 147th in 2022)

Overall, the best place to live in the country is Green Bay, Wisconsin, trailed by Huntsville, Alabama, according to the ranking. San Juan, Puerto Rico is last on the list as No. 150 of the best place to live.

See the top 5 cities to live in in the U.S., according to the rankings:

  1. Green Bay, Wisconsin

  2. Huntsville, Alabama

  3. Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina

  4. Boulder, Colorado

  5. Sarasota, Florida

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.