U.S. News & World Report recently published several annual rankings of the best places to live in the U.S. Grand Rapids, Michigan took spots in three of the lists, landing No. 13 for overall Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2019, and earning the No. 6 spot in both Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. in 2019 and Best Places to Retire in the U.S.

Best Places to Live

The Best Places to Live ranking methodology evaluates five metrics to develop the final scores, including:

• Job Market Index
• Value Index
• Quality of Life Index
• Desirability Index
• Net Migration

After evaluating these metrics, U.S. News pinpointed the most affordable locations on the Best Places to Live list based on how much of the median annual household income goes toward the average cost to own or rent a home, plus the cost of utilities and taxes. This lead to Grand Rapids taking the No. 6 spot in a list of Best Affordable Places to Live in the U.S. in 2019.

The city outranked several other popular destinations across America, including Nashville, Tenn., Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Ariz., Boston, Mass., Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and more.

15 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2019

1. Austin, TX
2. Denver, CO
3. Colorado Springs, CO
4. Fayetteville, AR
5. Des Moines, IA
6. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
7. San Francisco, CA
8. Portland, OR
9. Seattle, WA
10. Raleigh & Durham, NC
11. Huntsville, AL
12. Madison, WI
13. Grand Rapids, MI
14. San Jose, CA
15. Nashville, TN

You can view the full ranking list of Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2019 on the U.S. News & World Report website.

Best Places to Retire

The Best Places to Retire ranking methodology evaluates six metrics to develop the final scores, four of which differ from the Best Places to Live general ranking. These include:

• Happiness Index
• Housing Affordability Index
• Healthcare Quality Index
• Retiree Taxes Index
• Job Market Index
• Desirability Index

U.S. News surveyed pre-retirees (ages 45-59) and retirement-age individuals (60+) around the country to determine what metrics mattered most to those considering where they'd like to retire.

Top 10 Best Places to Retire in the U.S.

1. Lancaster, PA
2. Fort Myers, FL
3. Sarasota, FL
4. Austin, TX
5. Pittsburgh, PA
6. Grand Rapids, MI
7. Nashville, TN
8. San Antonio, TX
9. Dallas–Fort Worth, TX
10. Lakeland, FL

You can view the full list of Best Place to Retire in the U.S. on the U.S. News & World Report website.

Interested in seeing what other rankings West Michigan locations have received? Visit our Rankings page.