What’s not to like about New Jersey? Many people may have a great time in the Garden State, but nearly every city in New Jersey made it onto U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Places to Live” list. was excluded from.
The magazine’s 2025-2026 list of America’s Best Places to Live ranked major cities based on a number of categories, including quality of life, value, desirability and local job market.
No New Jersey cities appear in the top 100 U.S. News & World Report list. Trenton was the only New Jersey city to rank 145 out of 150 cities.
Neighboring New York City and Philadelphia also made the list, but they weren’t that far away. New York City ranked 124th and Philadelphia ranked 135th.
According to the list below, the top 10 cities to live in are:
Naples, Florida Boise, Idaho Colorado Springs, Colorado Greenville, South Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Huntsville, Alabama Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach, Virginia Austin, Texas Boulder, Colorado
New Jersey was dropped from the top 100, but not many cities in the Northeast made it. Buffalo and Pittsburgh were two Northeastern cities that made the list’s top 40, despite still being a long drive from the Garden State.
The US News and World Report methodology consists of four categories: The quality of life index is based on crime rates, quality of education, welfare, commuter and air quality indices, and FEMA national risk. Quality of life had the highest weight at 32%.
The value index is based on affordable housing, and the desirability index is based on resident surveys, weather, and facility-to-population ratios. The job market, unemployment rate, and median household income are also considered.
New Jersey still has many towns and places to offer and is considered some of the best places to live in the state.
Don’t let these lists put you off the Garden State. At least we don’t pump our own gas.
