For the rankings, it looked at data for the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the country. It considered housing affordability, healthcare quality, taxes and the happiness of residents, among other criteria.
Here is the top 10, which was dominated by Florida cities:
- Sarasota, FL, with an overall score of 7.5 and a 6.2 on each housing and healthcare scores
- Naples, FL, with a 7.3 overall score and 5.2 on housing and 5.8 on healthcare
- Daytona Beach, FL, also with a 7.3 topline score, had a 7.0 score on housing and 6.2 on healthcare
- Melbourne, FL, also with a 7.3 overall score, saw a 6.7 housing grade and a 6.0 for healthcare
- Lancaster, PA, the first non-Florida locale on the list, saw an overall score of 7.2 with 6.5 on housing and a 9.3 grade in healthcare
- Tampa, FL, with a 7.2 overall score, had a 6.6 grade on housing and a 6.4 on healthcare
- Fort Myers, FL, also with a 7.2 overall grade, received a 6.4 on housing and 5.8 on healthcare
- Port St. Lucie, FL, checking in with an overall grade of 7.2, saw a housing score of 6.4 and a healthcare score of 6.0
- Ann Arbor, MI, just one of two places in the top 10 not located in Florida, had an overall grade of 7.2, although housing affordability was only 5.9. However, its 8.4 healthcare score was among the highest in the group
- Pensacola, FL, rounding out the top 10, saw an overall score of 7.2. It got a 7.0 on housing and 5.3 in healthcare.
Next on the list are Allentown, PA (11th), Lakeland, FL (12th), Harrisburg, PA (13th), Asheville, NC (14th) and Reading, PA (15th).
Other notable rankings in the top 50 are Knoxville, TN (20th), Manchester, NH (24th), Myrtle Beach, SC (25th), Portland, ME (30th), Springfield, MA (31st), New York City, NY (32nd), Eugene, OR (33rd), Hartford, CT (36th), Trenton, NJ (37th), Green Bay, WI (41st), Salisbury, MD (46th), Washington DC (47th), and Austin, TX (50th).