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By the numbers: this is the best city to live in Colorado

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Samuel Stebbins, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square

About one in every five American workers whose job could be performed remotely worked from home before the COVID-19 pandemic. That share jumped to nearly three in four following the abrupt closure of offices nationwide, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2020. For millions of Americans, the shift to remote work is now permanent, and the new dynamic means they are no longer tied to a specific city for their job and can choose a place to live based on other factors, including quality of life -- which varies considerably in the United States.

Affordability, access to public spaces and services, the presence of entertainment and cultural amenities, crime rates, and socioeconomic conditions are just a few of the factors that can influence quality of life in a given city or town.

24/7 Wall St. created a weighted index of 25 measures in four main categories - economy, affordability, quality of life, and community - using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, and other sources to identify the best city to live in each state. We considered all boroughs, census designated places, cities, towns, and villages with at least 8,000 residents.

Durango, a small city of less than 20,000 residents near the southwestern corner of Colorado, ranks as the best place to live in the state. Just outside of the San Juan national forest, Durango residents have easy access to any number of outdoor activities, including skiing, mountain biking, hiking, and camping. The city is also host to a higher than average concentration of restaurants, bars, hotels, movie theaters, fitness centers, museums, and golf courses.

The city is also more pedestrian-friendly than most -- nearly 20% of commuters in Durango either walk or bike to work. Perhaps not surprisingly, Durango has one of the most physically active populations in the country. Only 13.5% of area adults do not get some form of exercise on a regular basis, well below the 22.7% share of adults nationwide.

Our index is composed of data across four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community. Data is all for the most recent year available and came from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, The Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. This is the best city to live in every state. 

Place

Population

Median home value ($)

Median household income ($)

5-yr. avg. unemployment (%)

Alabama: Hoover

85,175

291,000

89,452

3.3

Alaska: Juneau

32,227

345,900

88,390

4.6

Arizona: Paradise Valley

14,362

1,516,200

211,393

2.1

Arkansas: Lowell

9,175

157,600

68,438

1.0

California: Burlingame

30,576

1,901,900

128,447

4.7

Colorado: Durango

18,588

463,700

66,160

4.8

Connecticut: Darien

21,742

1,471,700

232,523

4.9

Delaware: Smyrna

11,484

206,400

67,277

5.4

Florida: Key Biscayne

12,915

1,211,000

151,310

5.3

Georgia: Sandy Springs

107,072

471,800

78,613

3.0

Hawaii: Urban Honolulu

348,985

683,000

71,465

3.7

Idaho: Meridian

101,905

274,900

71,389

3.7

Illinois: Winnetka

12,428

1,091,700

250,000+

2.4

Indiana: Carmel

97,464

333,200

112,765

2.5

Iowa: North Liberty

18,829

220,800

83,949

1.1

Kansas: Leawood

34,670

463,200

157,515

2.7

Kentucky: Fort Mitchell

8,257

272,200

67,745

0.5

Louisiana: Harahan

9,304

240,300

66,741

3.6

Maine: Portland

66,595

289,000

60,467

2.8

Maryland: Takoma Park

17,672

583,800

84,591

5.6

Massachusetts: Brookline

59,180

933,200

117,326

2.8

Michigan: Royal Oak

59,195

224,600

81,665

3.2

Minnesota: Edina

51,746

476,300

104,244

3.1

Mississippi: Byram

11,578

141,700

66,641

2.2

Missouri: Ladue

8,601

831,800

214,875

1.3

Montana: Belgrade

8,685

243,200

59,146

2.9

Nebraska: Papillion

20,423

189,900

80,619

2.5

Nevada: Reno

246,500

335,000

58,790

5.4

New Hampshire: Portsmouth

21,775

425,600

83,923

2.1

New Jersey: Hoboken

53,193

720,700

147,620

3.0

New Mexico: Corrales

8,588

447,600

85,580

2.8

New York: Rye

15,820

1,392,100

192,688

4.1

North Carolina: Davidson

12,735

448,300

124,853

2.8

North Dakota: West Fargo

35,397

241,000

85,120

1.5

Ohio: Bay Village

15,325

247,900

103,582

1.3

Oklahoma: Bixby

`

223,900

83,119

2.9

Oregon: Sherwood

19,625

405,900

103,512

1.8

Pennsylvania: Wyomissing

10,473

245,600

81,178

4.3

Rhode Island: Newport

24,663

448,800

67,102

5.2

South Carolina: Mount Pleasant

86,982

461,000

103,232

2.1

South Dakota: Brandon

9,934

225,200

87,250

1.6

Tennessee: Brentwood

42,407

655,400

168,688

2.6

Texas: Highland Park

9,168

1,508,900

211,136

1.4

Utah: South Jordan

71,198

405,400

104,597

1.6

Vermont: South Burlington

19,162

307,500

73,065

3.7

Virginia: Vienna

16,489

743,500

161,196

2.4

Washington: Mercer Island

25,675

1,218,200

147,566

4.0

West Virginia: Weirton

18,670

94,800

49,496

6.6

Wisconsin: Middleton

19,487

336,900

76,011

2.5

Wyoming: Cheyenne

63,607

214,300

64,598

5.4