But none of these are Denver, which U.S. News sees as a much, much less desirable place in which to live than it was a few short years ago.
In 2020, Denver landed at second place on the roster, trailing only Boulder, which topped the chart. In the years since then, Boulder has slid a bit, registering in the fourth position for the second year following two consecutive top rankings. Meanwhile, Colorado Springs, which was at number two nationwide last year, dipped to ninth, while Fort Collins improved considerably, rising from 54th place last year to 23 this time around.
And the Mile High City? In 2021, Denver took a dive to 14th before plunging to 55th a year later. In 2023, it's still among the 100 most desirable American communities to call home, but barely. Denver is now holding down 99th place — and statistics provided by U.S. News suggests that the main reasons for its tumble are related to the cost of living and crime.
To arrive at its conclusions, U.S. News categorizes data, drawn from sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI, into four differently weighted indexes: quality of life (36 percent of the total), value (23 percent), desirability (22 percent) and job market (19 percent). Factors added for this year's rankings include a greater concentration on weather, as well as net migration, price parity and resources available in the case of a natural disaster.
These elements resulted in some big jumps for several cities, with Fort Collins leaping 31 spots, a showing just behind Virginia Beach, Virginia (up 76 slots, from 106th last year to 30th) and Savannah, Georgia (from 102nd to 37th, a 65-spot spike). Fort Collins's performance was paced by stronger scores for value, desirability and job market — and it might have done even better overall had it not suffered what U.S. News characterizes as a "slight decrease in quality of life."
Boulder held steady at number four, trailing only the new champ, Green Bay, Wisconsin, followed by Huntsville, Alabama, and the Raleigh and Durham metroplex in North Carolina. And even though Colorado Springs is seven spaces lower, it remains in elite company.
Here's the new top ten:
1. Green Bay, WisconsinOn the 2022-2023 page devoted to Denver, journalist Katie Hearsum contends that the city's residents have evolved from the "gun-slinging gamblers" who were prevalent in the "mid-1800s," when it was founded as "a mining hub during the gold rush," into "an easygoing crowd of ambitious, progressive-minded fitness fanatics and nature lovers who are eager to push the envelope on everything from civil rights to drug laws."
2. Huntsville, Alabama
3. Raleigh & Durham, North Carolina
4. Boulder, Colorado
5. Sarasota, Florida
6. Naples, Florida
7. Portland, Maine
8. Charlotte, North Carolina
9. Colorado Springs, Colorado
10. Fayetteville, Arkansas
If that summary isn't cringeworthy enough for you, try this paragraph slightly lower in the introductory section: "To clarify a common misconception, Denver is not a mountain town. It actually takes at least an hour to drive to the Rockies."
Still, such descriptions aren't nearly as concerning as some of the facts and figures. Take housing costs: In 2021, Denver's average home price was $642,437, more than a quarter-million dollars higher than the national number, of $365,616.
These stats are followed by a simple yet devastating sentence: "Denver offers a lower value than similarly sized metro areas when you compare housing costs to median household income."
The crime stats are more damning. U.S. News puts the 2020 rate for violent crime in Denver at 479.1 per 100,000 people — above Chicago (252.8) and Dallas-Forth Worth (366.5) during the same period.
The property crime numbers are problematic, too: 3,187.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 1174 in Chicago and 2118.7 in Dallas-Fort Worth.
While more recent studies show Denver's crime rate falling off, U.S. News still reports that it's "higher than average."
The same can't be said for its placement on the U.S. News & World Report's 2023-2024 best cities list.
But then, U.S. News & World Report has also taken a few hits in its own ranking this year, with many institutions withdrawing from consideration for other lists. Colorado College, for example, announced in February that it would no longer participate in U.S. News rankings, and other schools have followed suit.
"After extensive deliberations and surveys of our students, staff, faculty, alumni, and parents, the sentiment of our community is clear. Colorado College will no longer cooperate in the deeply flawed U.S. News & World Report 'Best Colleges' ranking," announced President L. Song Richardson. "We are pulling out of this ranking because it privileges criteria that are antithetical to our values and our aspirational goals."
Too bad Denver can't do the same.
