What to Know
- WalletHub compared more than 1,200 small cities in the United States to determine the best and worst small urbanized locations
- Various small cities in the tri-state were determined to be among the best in the country
- However, a number of New Jersey small cities appear among the worst, as well
Though some people crave the hustle and bustle of a large city, others prefer the quaint atmosphere that comes with a smaller city.
There may be perks to living in a smaller city, like not dealing with large crowds, cheaper rent and having shorter commutes, but not all small cities are created equal and what one may have in abundance another may be lacking.
The list was based on 40 key indicators of livability that range from housing costs to school-system quality to restaurants per capita and it turns out that a number of cities in the tri-state area made the cut and sit among the best. These key indicators were used to rate each city in five distinct rankings: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life and safety. These five rankings were then used to compile the overall list.
Princeton, New Jersey, and Westport, Connecticut, came out among the best, placing in the top 1 percent (99th percentile), according to WalletHub.
The overall placements are due in part to the high scores the two locations received in certain rankings. Princeton received an overall score of 69.74 and was the No. 1 small city in the economic health rank.
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On the other hand, even though Westport, Connecticut, did not obtain a high score in any of the individual rankings it did receive an overall score of 67.26, which placed it among the best small cities. The highest individual ranking Westport received was the 20th place in the education and health rank. However, in individual categories, Westport, Connecticut, was tied with Los Altos, California, in fourth place for being one of the small cities with the highest percentage of population with a high school diploma or higher.
Fair Lawn and Westfield, both in New Jersey, as well as Saratoga Springs, New York, placed in the 98th percentile – meaning WalletHub determined them to be the same or better than 98 percent of the small cities analyzed in the study.
When it comes to individual categories, Westfield also made an appearance and was deemed No. 4 among the list of small cities with the lowest percentage of population living in poverty. Paramus, another New Jersey small city, sits at No. 5, meanwhile, Ithaca, New York, is among the small cities with the highest percentage of population in poverty.
Though many seek small cities due to the overall idea of a more attainable housing market that is not always the case. According to individual categories analyzed by WalletHub, Passaic and Lakewood, two small cities in the Garden State, are among the locations with the highest housing costs.
Meanwhile, West New York, Union City and New Brunswick — all cities in New Jersey — are among those with the lowest homeownership rate.
Another individual category determined that New London, Connecticut, sits among the small cities with the lowest income growth, while Hoboken, New Jersey, the city that Frank Sinatra at one point called home, was determined to be among those with the highest average of weekly work hours.
WalletHub’s analysis also showed that going out to a restaurant may be a different experience in certain small cities than others, given that two New York small cities, Irondequoit and Brighton, placed among those with the fewest restaurants per capita.
A New Jersey small city — Bergenfield — also reigned supreme among the cities with the lowest crime rate.
While the WalletHub list placed a number of tri-state area small cities among the best, some were also placed among the worst.
Bridgeton and Camden, both in New Jersey, are among the bottom 1 percent – meaning they are among the worst small cities in the country.
