U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, has unveiled the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live in the U.S., ranking major U.S. cities based on value, desirability, job market and quality of life. This year, U.S. News expanded its data to evaluate more than 850 cities (up from 150 in previous years), publishing the top 250 as the year’s best places to live, including the best places to live in Arizona.

New data considerations and the expansion of evaluated cities resulted in a new top 10 for the 2025-2026 year, with Johns Creek, Georgia, taking No. 1 due to its strong job market and desirability scores.

“The expansion of the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings gives consumers a more detailed view into what it’s like to live somewhere at the community level, enabling them to consider more options for potential places to settle down,” said Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report.

Carmel, Indiana, ranked No. 2 on the strength of its high desirability, value and job market scores. Texas debuted three top-10 placements due to strong value and desirability scores: Pearland, Texas, landed at No. 3, while League City, Texas, and Leander, Texas, placed at No. 6 and No. 8, respectively.

The 2025-2026 Best Places to Live were determined based on a methodology that takes into account the city’s job market, value, quality of life and desirability. These measures were weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find what qualities they consider important in a place to live. The methodology also factors in data from U.S. News’ internal resources, Applied Geographic Solutions, and U.S. government agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

This year, based on consumer sentiment, the weights were stack-ranked, measuring quality of life, value, desirability and job market. The 2025-2026 rankings also include U.S. News Best States data on economy and infrastructure to deepen consumer confidence and understanding of cities’ standings on important factors that contribute to overall quality of life.

“While quality of life remains the top priority for many Americans – and has the heaviest weight in determining the Best Places to Live rankings – U.S. News slightly adjusted its weights to increase priority for a location’s job market amid heightened economic uncertainty,” said Giovanetti.

The 20 Best Places To Live In Arizona

The 859 cities analyzed for the 2025-2026 reveal were then ranked within state-specific rankings, including the best places to live in Arizona. Here are the 20 best places to live in Arizona, according to U.S. News & World Report.

No. 1: Queen Creek

Overall score: 6.2

Population: 68,717

Average Commute: 29 minutes

Median Home Value: $547,271

Median Monthly Rent: $1,678

Median Household Income: $133,328

No. 2: Gilbert

Overall score: 6.2

Population: 272,479

Average Commute: 23 minutes

Median Home Value: $496,010

Median Monthly Rent: $1,638

Median Household Income: $120,156

No. 3: Marana

Overall score: 6.1

Population: 55,483

Average Commute: 28 minutes

Median Home Value: $358,011

Median Monthly Rent: $1,235

Median Household Income: $106,814

No. 4: Chandler

Overall score: 6.1

Population: 276,856

Average Commute: 22 minutes

Median Home Value: $482,989

Median Monthly Rent: $1,567

Median Household Income: $105,654

No. 5: Scottsdale

Overall score: 6.0

Population: 264,894

Average Commute: 20 minutes

Median Home Value: $698,486

Median Monthly Rent: $1,631

Median Household Income: $112,224

No. 6: Sierra Vista

Overall score: 5.8

Population: 44,045

Average Commute: 14 minutes

Median Home Value: $238,571

Median Monthly Rent: $844

Median Household Income: $75,622

No. 7: Peoria

Overall score: 5.8

Population: 192,470

Average Commute: 25 minutes

Median Home Value: $459,372

Median Monthly Rent: $1,534

Median Household Income: $94,663

No. 8: Surprise

Overall score: 5.7

Population: 157,250

Average Commute: 26 minutes

Median Home Value: $428,673

Median Monthly Rent: $1,581

Median Household Income: $93,430

No. 9: Maricopa

Overall score: 5.5

Population: 65,976

Average Commute: 38 minutes

Median Home Value: $363,014

Median Monthly Rent: $1,434

Median Household Income: $92,783

No. 10: Mesa

Overall score: 5.5

Population: 530,240

Average Commute: 22 minutes

Median Home Value: $427,074

Median Monthly Rent: $1,389

Median Household Income: $80,935

No. 11: Goodyear

Overall score: 5.5

Population: 105,991

Average Commute: 24 minutes

Median Home Value: $457,522

Median Monthly Rent: $1,576

Median Household Income: $101,421

No. 12: Buckeye

Overall score: 5.3

Population: 103,727

Average Commute: 29 minutes

Median Home Value: $429,097

Median Monthly Rent: $1,504

Median Household Income: $97,986

No. 13: Phoenix

Overall score: 5.3

Population: 1,643,301

Average Commute: 23 minutes

Median Home Value: $456,730

Median Monthly Rent: $1,392

Median Household Income: $80,819

No. 14: Avondale

Overall score: 5.2

Population: 93,627

Average Commute: 24 minutes

Median Home Value: $390,702

Median Monthly Rent: $1,473

Median Household Income: $83,502

No. 15: Tucson

Overall score: 5.1

Population: 548,153

Average Commute: 20 minutes

Median Home Value: $275,701

Median Monthly Rent: $932

Median Household Income: $55,886

No. 16: Prescott

Overall score: 5.1

Population: 50,529

Average Commute: 14 minutes

Median Home Value: $512,812

Median Monthly Rent: $1,058

Median Household Income: $70,318

No. 17: Glendale

Overall score: 5.0

Population: 251,331

Average Commute: 25 minutes

Median Home Value: $416,349

Median Monthly Rent: $1,369

Median Household Income: $74,410

No. 18: Casa Grande

Overall score: 5.0

Population: 66,558

Average Commute: 19 minutes

Median Home Value: $333,245

Median Monthly Rent: $1,261

Median Household Income: $69,104

No. 19: Lake Havasu City

Overall score: 4.9

Population: 62,593

Average Commute: 14 minutes

Median Home Value: $416,294

Median Monthly Rent: $1,059

Median Household Income: $68,131

No. 20: Tempe

Overall score: 4.9

Population: 184,176

Average Commute: 20 minutes

Median Home Value: $456,398

Median Monthly Rent: $1,495

Median Household Income: $78,389

“This year’s release celebrates the top 250 places that meet consumer needs best, but also offers the ability to view top-ranked cities in states of their choice,” added Giovanetti.

Best Places to Live is part of U.S. News’ expanding Real Estate division, which helps individuals determine the best places to live, and places to retire, as well as better understand the housing market, determine their home value, work with a real estate agent, and buy and sell a home.

2025-2026 U.S. News Best Places To Live – Top 10

1. Johns Creek, GA
2. Carmel, IN
3. Pearland, TX
4. Fishers, IN
5. Cary, NC
6. League City, TX
7. Apex, NC
8. Leander, TX
9. Rochester Hills, MI
10. Troy, MI

See the full rankings here.