When it comes to finding a place to call home, ‘livability’ is often a key factor – or in other words, where can someone have a satisfying life while keeping cost of living in mind? With Centennial State prices feeling like they’re on the rise in recent years, it can feel difficult to find a place where that’s possible. That said, according to RentCafe, two local areas rank among the most ‘livable’ places nationwide.

In order to create their ranking, RentCafe analyzed 17 related metrics across 149 American metro areas, considering factors related to socioeconomics, location and community, and quality of life. After the numbers were crunched, two places in Colorado ranked among the top 20 ‘most livable’ places nationwide.

Ranking the highest locally was the Fort Collins metro area, which has a cost of living that’s about 13 percent above the national average but has higher local incomes to match. Quality of life in Fort Collins was exceptionally high, with some of the lowest physical inactivity rates nationwide coupled ample access to exercise opportunities and healthcare providers. The Fort Collins metro also performed well in terms of ‘Location and Community’ metrics, with high education numbers, shorter commutes, and plenty of local entertainment.

Meanwhile, Colorado Springs ranked 20th on the list of 149 metro areas in terms of livability, with a cost of living that’s just two percent higher than the national average. Income growth rates were also higher in Colorado Springs compared to Fort Collins – 5 percent compared to 3 percent – which resulted in Olympic City, U.S.A. ranking a ‘reasonable for Colorado’ 34th in terms of ‘socioeconomics’ factors nationwide (compared to Fort Collins’ 95th-place ranking in this category of metrics).

Colorado Springs did rank a bit lower than Fort Collins in terms of ‘Quality of Life’ metrics (42nd vs. 11th) and ‘Location and Community’ metrics (31st vs. 12th), but with all things considered, Colorado Springs still cracked the top 20 overall.

The only other Colorado metro area included in the ranking was that of Denver, ranking 72nd overall.

Nationwide, the top-rated place for ‘livability’ was Washington, D.C. While this metro ranked as 133rd in terms of ‘socioeconomics,’ it ranked 1st for both ‘quality of life’ and ‘location and community’ metrics. The worst-ranking place nationwide was McAllen, Texas, ranking 136th for ‘socioeconomics,’ 149th (of 149) in terms of ‘quality of life,’ and 147th in terms of ‘location and community.’

Find the full report here.

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