U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Places to Live” rankings feature three Johnson County cities.
The publication picked the 250 top places to live in the U.S., according to several factors, including quality of life, affordability and strength of the local job market.
Olathe, Overland Park and Shawnee all made the list, scoring slightly above a 6 on the magazine’s 10-point scale. (The top-ranked cities overall scored in the 7 range, for context.)
Olathe was the top-ranked city in Kansas and 79th overall in the U.S.
U.S. News noted Olathe’s median household income of $111,000 and average commute time of 19 minutes. The average home value in the city, according to the report, was $364,000.
The magazine determined its rankings based on both government and private data, according to an explanation of its methodology.
Five factors were considered in determining cities’ rankings: quality of life, value, desirability, job market and net migration, meaning the percentage of residents moving to or away from a city.
Particular data, like crime rates, unemployment rates, median household income and even average temperature, were included in U.S. News’ calculations.
Overland Park was the second-ranked city in Kansas and 95th overall. It’s median household income was listed at around $104,000 and its average home value at slightly more than $404,000.
Shawnee came in third in Kansas and 104th overall. It’s median household income was listed at about $105,000 and its average home value at more than $361,000.
Five other Kansas cities made U.S. News’ list, including Wichita, Lawrence, Manhattan, Kansas City and Topeka.
U.S. News says its annual “Best Place” rankings can “help readers make the most informed decisions when choosing where to settle down.”
The magazine’s rankings seem to favor suburban communities on the fringes of large metropolitan areas.
The top three ranked cities nationwide, according to the list, are John’s Creek, Georgia, outside Atlanta; Carmel, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis; and Pearland, Texas, a suburb just south of Houston.
