
What Puts 4 Colorado Cities on US News’ List of Top 150 ‘Best Places to Live?’
You could take the list as a badge of honor, or you can take it as a warning that more people may be headed to these Colorado cities. Three of the cities did very well, one barely made the top 100.
US News gathered data from the U.S. census, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as their own resources, to put together these 150 metro cities that rank as 'the best places to live.' They used a methodology that included the public's thoughts on what factors they find most important when considering a move.
Four Colorado cities fell within the top 100 of the 150, which says a lot about how great of a state it is. For two of them to fall within the top 10 of the list, is amazing, Again, this could be seen as another list that Coloradans would rather not be published, for fear of the population of these cities growing even further.
WHAT WERE THE FOUR INDEXES US NEWS WENT WITH?
- QUALITY OF LIFE
Quality of Life was made up of several factors such as crime, air quality, commuting time, quality and availability of health care, etc.
- VALUE
They looked at housing values, and the price value of goods, gauging how comfortably the average resident of each city can afford to live within their means
- DESIRABILITY
Do people desire to live in a given city?
- JOB MARKET
This index looked at the unemployment rates and the average salaries in the cities.

WHAT COLORADO CITY CAME IN AT #99?
Denver. The Mile High City had an overall score of 6.1, with Quality of Life getting 6.5 and Value getting 4.9. Denver's crime has been making the news, as of late.
RELATED: COLORADO NEEDS THESE 5 AMERICAN RESTAURANTS
WHICH CITY WAS IN THE TOP 25?
- FORT COLLINS - #23
Fort Collins beat out #24 Tampa by having an overall score of 6.5. with Quality of Life getting 7.2 and Value getting 5.9.
WHICH CITIES MADE IT INTO THE TOP 10?
- COLORADO SPRINGS - #9
Colorado Springs is one of two Colorado cities in the top 10. The Springs had an overall score of 6.7, with Quality of Life getting 6.5 and Value getting 5.8.
- BOULDER - #4
Boulder, which ranked higher than #5 Sarasota, but not as high as Raleigh/Durham, Huntsville. or #1 Green Bay, Wisconsin (Green Bay?) had Colorado's highest overall score at 6.8 with Quality of Life getting 7.7 and Value getting 5.3.
MORE: Colorado's Top 10 Ghost Towns
MORE: The Top 10 Famous People Buried in Colorado
More From Retro 102.5








