We’re 26! We’re 26!
OK, so Pittsburghers aren’t much interested in lists where we’re not No. 1. A bunch of Stanley Cups and Lombardi Trophies will spoil you like that.
However, the U.S. News & World Report’s list of the Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2022-23 ranks Pittsburgh the 26th-best place to live in America, and tops in the state (take that, Scranton!).
The usual reasons are cited: cost of living, post-steel job opportunities, education, ample parkland, etc.
The magazine studied the 150 most populous metro areas, including the cost of living, job market, crime rates and quality of education. That data was weighted based on responses from a survey of approximately 3,600 people to determine what matters most to them when picking their next place to live.
Most places that are ranked ahead of Pittsburgh are smaller cities with strong economies that tend to lack problems faced by big cities: college towns like Ann Arbor (#11) or Raleigh and Durham (#6), or tourist hubs like Boulder (#4) and Colorado Springs (#2).
The few big cities ahead of Pittsburgh tend to be expensive economic powerhouses like San Jose (#5), San Francisco (#10), Austin (#13) Boston (#18) and Washington, D.C. (#19). The top-ranked city is Huntsville, Alabama. (Guess folks there like rockets).
Pittsburgh comes in ahead of acclaimed cities like Charlotte (#30), Dallas (#32) and Seattle (#36).
Other Pennsylvania cities in the ranking are Harrisburg (#35), Lancaster (#61), Reading (#74), Scranton (#89), York (#92), Philadelphia (#99) and Allentown (#111).
Read the entire report here.