Inside the best 20 places to live in America: How a ‘playground for the powerful and wealthy’ topped the list

It’s known as the Paradise Coast, famed for its warm weather, low taxes and slow pace of life.

So, it’s little wonder Naples, FL, has been named America’s best place to live, according to an official ranking.

The closely-watched annual report from US News and World said the Southwest Florida city had become a ‘playground for the powerful and wealthy’ and a hotspot for retirees. 

However, paradise comes with a cost as house prices in the city are more than double the national average.

Naples was followed by Boise, ID, Colorado Springs, CO and Greenville, SC.

To locals, Naples’ top ranking comes as no surprise. Mark Danni, a resident of 22 years, told the Naples Daily News: ‘I love seeing sunshine every day.

Naples, FL is America’s best place to live, according to an official ranking

‘I love that Naples has a wide variety of live performing arts groups where Neapolitans can see so many different performing arts productions throughout the year.’ 

The average home in Naples is $577,769 – more than twice the national average of $281,900, according to the report. 

For the past two years, the city has ranked sixth on the US News and World report’s rankings.

But its score has been bolstered by a strong job market, with unemployment at 3.6 percent – compared to a national average of 5.3 percent.

The median household income in the city is $98,120 – almost a third higher than the national average of $75,149. 

What’s more its crime rate is also below the rest of the country, with 106.8 crimes committed per 100,000 people in the city.

To establish the best places to live, researchers scored cities by six key criteria: affordability, happiness, health care, retiree taxes, desirability and job market. 

Erika Giovanetti, US News and World Report’s loans expert, told CBS MoneyWatch:   ‘This year’s survey found people are concerned about the economy and want more financial stability, so the value and job market categories were the factors that were most important to people. That’s something that really helped Naples.

‘There is a big retiree population, so there is a lot of well-paid work for health care employees willing to take care of an aging population in that part of the country.’ 

In second place was Boise, ID, which attracted an influx of newcomers during the pandemic causing house prices to balloon from $364,500 in February 2020 to $498,490 today

Colorado Springs, CO, came in third place thanks to its colorful nature, booming suburbs and manageable cost of living. Pictured: Balloon Classic held in Memorial Park in Colorado Springs

Greenville, SC, ranked fourth. Pictured: Falls Park on Reedy Creek in Greenville

She added that quality of life was America’s top priority while the report’s findings reflected ‘rising consumer concerns’ over affordability.

Soaring interest rates and red-hot inflation have pushed up living costs to their highest in recent memory. 

In second place was Boise, ID, which attracted an influx of newcomers during the pandemic causing house prices to balloon from $364,500 in February 2020 to $498,490 today. 

The report notes: ‘Idaho’s capital sits squarely on the boundary of urban and rural, civilized and wild, refined and raw. 

‘Yes, there are wilder places. Yes, there are more urbane places. But Boise is a good place to live if you enjoy easy access to both.’

Colorado Springs, CO, came in third place thanks to its colorful nature, booming suburbs and manageable cost of living.

It was famously the inspiration for the 1993 Pike Peaks song ‘America the Beautiful.’

Meanwhile Greenville, SC, ranked fourth. Researchers noted the area’s reputation as a textile powerhouse had seen a boom in manufacturing jobs.

Unemployment in the city is 3.8 percent while the median household income is $76,193. 

However, its ranking was pushed down by its high crime rate which equates to 469.8 incidences of crime per 100,000 people.

The top ten was rounded out by: Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Huntsville, AL, Virginia Beach, VA, Austin, TX, Boulder, CO. Pictured: Charlotte, North Carolina

Raleigh, NC (pictured) was awarded an overall score of 6.8

The top ten was rounded out by: Charotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, Huntsville, AL, Virginia Beach, VA, Austin, TX, Boulder, CO.

It comes after Utah was declared the best state to live in by a separate report, also by the US News and World.

Governor Spencer Cox recently theorized the ranking was thanks to Utah’s sense of community.

He told Fox News Digital: ‘One of the things that makes Utah special is that we lead the nation in upward mobility and social capital, connectedness, that we lead the nation every year in service and charitable giving, and that we don’t rely on government to solve all of our problems.’