America’s most livable cities

We all like to think of our hometowns as pretty decent places to hang our hats, but not everyone has the same set of values. When Forbes decided to identify America’s Most Livable Cities, some clear criteria had to be established.

The magazine assessed quality of life in the nation’s largest continental metropolitan statistical areas, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. Areas with populations smaller than 500,000 were not considered. The rest were rated across five sets of data: Five-year income growth per household and cost of living from Moody’s Economy.com, crime data and leisure index from Sperling’s Best Places, and annual unemployment statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Who were the big winners?

Here’s the list:

15. Little Rock, Ark

14. Peabody, Mass.

13. Madison, Wisc.

12. Harrisburg, Pa.

11. Denver, Colo.

10. Pittsburgh, Pa.

9. Worcester, Mass.

8. Baltimore, Md.

7. Cambridge, Mass.

6. Oklahoma City, Okla.

5. Tulsa, Okla.

4. Stamford, Conn.

3. Des Moines, Iowa

2. Bethesda, Md.

1. Portland, Me.

To read about what makes these cities so resident-friendly, and to see a slideshow, check out Forbes.

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