Ranking Capital Cities: The Best Places to Live in 2025

Taking into account affordability, safety, well-being, and convenience, we ranked all 50 U.S. state capitals to determine the best places to live. The final score was calculated using key metrics: median home price, home price growth, median household income, walk score, transit score, safety index, and air quality. Each metric was normalized and weighted to reflect its importance in assessing overall livability.