Sarasota ranks among top places to live in the U.S.

Sarasota, Florida; January 14, 2023 Photo by R Boed | Flickr

There's something about your hometown that establishes a certain level of pride in people. And in Florida, that's especially the case from coast to coast, whether you're a sand seeker, art aficionado, or foodie finder. Those living in Sarasota have something new to be proud of — standing in the top of the ranks among the best places to live in the United States out of 150 other locations from across the country!

The study conducted by U.S. News analyzed 4 different main metrics, each category having a variety of considerations that receive a weighted percentage toward each city's final score and overall rank.

The 4 main metrics included Quality of Life, making up 36% of each city's overall score, Value, Desirability, and Job Markets. Sub-metrics included, but were not limited to, crime rates, education quality, housing affordability, salaries, and unemployment rates.

While Green Bay, Wisconsin happened to steal the #1 spot in the entirety of the U.S., Sarasota wasn't far behind, nestling nicely into the #5 slot — also solidifying its spot as the #1 place to live in Florida with an overall score of 6.8. Sarasota's quality of life score sits comfortably at an even 7.0, with their Value score resting at 6.1.

Naples came in just behind Sarasota in the #6 slot. While their overall score tied with the Citrus City, Naples's Value score of 5.5 fell short of pushing it into the #1 best place to live in the Sunshine State.

But Naples and Sarasota weren't the only Florida metros to make the list. Melbourne, Jacksonville, Tampa, Pensacola, Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tallahassee, Port St. Lucie, Ocala, and Fort Myers all made it into the top 100, with Lakeland coming in at 105 and Miami ranking #138th.

Not from Florida but hoping to have bragging rights? Checkout the full ranking list below to see if your city made the cut:

1. Green Bay, Wisconsin
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
11. Madison, Wisconsin
12. Boise, Idaho
13. San Jose, California
14. Ann Arbor, Michigan
15. Melbourne, Florida
16. Jacksonville, Florida
17. Albany, New York
18. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
19. Des Moines, Iowa
20. Grand Rapids, Michigan
21. Knoxville, Tennessee
22. Syracuse, New York
23. Fort Collins, Colorado
24. Tampa, Florida
25. Hickory, North Carolina
26. Rochester, New York
27. Buffalo, New York
28. Pensacola, Florida
29. Asheville, North Carolina
30. Virginia Beach, Virginia
31. Greenville, South Carolina
32. Lincoln, Nebraska
33. Fort Wayne, Indiana
34. Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
35. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
36. Portland, Oregon
37. Savannah, Georgia
38. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
39. Washington, D.C.
40. Austin, Texas
41. Winston-Salem, North Carolina
42. Richmond, Virginia
43. Spartanburg, South Carolina
44. Boston, Massachusetts
45. San Francisco, California
46. Omaha, Nebraska
47. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
48. Chattanooga, Tennessee
49. Daytona Beach, Florida
50. Cincinnati, Ohio
51. Manchester, New Hampshire
52. Orlando, Florida
53. Charleston, South Carolina
54. Quad Cities Area of Iowa and Illinois — Davenport-Bettendorf, Iowa to Rock Island, Illinois
55. Lancaster, Pennsylvania
56. Hartford, Connecticut
57. Springfield, Missouri
58. Salt Lake City, Utah
59. Honolulu, Hawaii
60. Tallahassee, Florida
61. Nashville, Tennessee
62. Youngstown, Ohio
63. Port St. Lucie, Florida
64. Atlanta, Georgia
65. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
66. Huntington, West Virginia & Ashland, Kentucky to Ohio Metro Areas
67. Ocala, Florida
68. Indianapolis, Indiana
69. Columbus, Ohio
70. Peoria, Illinois
71. Trenton, New Jersey
72. Greensboro, North Carolina
73. Kansas City, Missouri
74. August, Georgia
75. Lousiville, Kentucky
76. South Bend, Indiana
77. Worcester, Massachusetts
78. York, Pennsylvania
79. Reno, Nevada
80. Birmingham, Alabama
81. Seattle, Washington
82. Salisbury, Maryland
83. Lansing, Michigan
84. Toledo, Ohio
85. Scranton, Pennsylvania
86. Providence, Rhode Island
87. Wichita, Kansas
88. Reading, Pennsylvania
89. Lafayette, Louisiana
90. Kalamazoo, Michigan
91. Fort Myers, Florida
92. Columbia, South Carolina
93. San Diego, California
94. Montgomery, Alabama
95. New Haven, Connecticut
96. Tucson, Arizona
97. Cleveland, Ohio
98. New York City, New York
99. Denver, Colorado
100. St. Louis, Missouri
101. Tulsa, Oklahoma
102. Little Rock, Arkansas
103. San Antonia, Texas
104. Spokane, Washington
105. Lakeland, Florida
106. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
107. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
108. Springfield, Massachusetts
109. Allentown, Pennsylvania
110. Phoenix, Arizona
111. Anchorage, Alaska
112. Eugene, Oregon
113. Dalla-Fort Worth, Texas
114. Detroit, Michigan
115. Mobile, Alabama
116. Baltimore, Maryland
117. Shreveport, Louisiana
118. Albuquerque, New Mexico
119. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
120. Jackson, Mississippi
121. Gulfport-Biloxi, Mississippi
122. Killeen, Texas
123. Chicago, Illinois
124. Santa Barbara, California
125. Santa Rosa, California
126. Salem, Oregon
127. Sacramento, California
128. El Paso, Texas
129. New Orlean, Louisiana
130. Flint, Michigan
131. Beaumont, Texas
132. Corpus Christi, Texas
133. Rockford, Illinois
134. Brownsville, Texas
135. Fayetteville, North Carolina
136. Las Vegas, Nevada
137. McAllen, Texas
138. Miami, Florida
139. Los Angeles, California
140. Houston, Texas
141. Dayton, Ohio
142. Vallejo & Fairfield, California
143. Salina, Califonia
144. Memphis, Tennessee
145. Modesto, California
146. Fresno, California
147. Visalia, California
148. Stockton, California
149. Bakersfield, California
150. San Juan, Puerto Rico

​
Did your city make the list? Let us know in the comments!
Article by Rachael Volpe