Niche 2023 Best Cities To Live: Find Where Arlington County Ranks

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington came in behind only Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a 2023 ranking of the "Best Cities to Live in America," according to a list published Monday by Niche.

Cambridge climbed from No. 2 in the 2022 ranking to No. 1 in this year’s Best Cities to Live in America list, while Arlington jumped from the fourth-best city to live in the 2022 ranking to No. 2 in 2023.

Niche is an online platform that ranks cities and communities as a way to help students and their parents find the schools and places to live that are right for them. It has been publishing the "Best Cities to Live in America" rankings for nine consecutive years.

In the 2023 ranking, Niche gave Arlington A+ grades in the schools, nightlife, good for families, and health and fitness categories. The county received A grades for outdoor activities, diversity and commutes.

Arlington received its lowest grades — C for cost of living and C+ for housing — due to the county’s affordable housing crisis and its high property taxes. Here's Niche's full 2023 report card for Arlington:

• Public Schools: A+
• Crime and safety: Unavailable
• Housing: C+
• Nightlife: A+
• Good for families: A+
• Diversity: A
• Jobs: B
• Weather: B
• Cost of living: C
• Health and fitness: A+
• Outdoor activities: A
• Commute: A

Niche creates the annual Best City to Live rankings by using data from several sources, including the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combined with resident reviews.

The company considers factors such as affordability, the local housing market, neighborhood diversity, area public schools, walkability and other factors.

"We are proud to be a trusted resource for families, homebuyers, professionals and retirees alike in their research," Luke Skurman, CEO and founder of Niche, said in a statement Monday. "Families wondering about an area’s school district can also use our comprehensive school profiles and rankings to get a feel for their child’s potential school."

Among Arlington’s high schools, Niche ranked Yorktown High School as the 13th best in Virginia, followed by Washington-Liberty High School as the 16th best in the state and Wakefield High School as the 54th best.

Swanson Middle School in the Westover neighborhood of Arlington ranked as the No. 1 middle school in Virginia, according to Niche.

Here are the top 10 places in Niche's 2023 ranking of the "Best Cities to Live in America":

1. Cambridge, Massachusetts

2. Arlington, Virginia

3. The Woodlands, Texas

4. Naperville, Illinois

5. Columbia, Maryland

6. Berkeley, California

7. Irvine, California

8. Ann Arbor, Michigan

9. Overland Park, Kansas

10. Bellevue, Washington

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