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.

Table with 7 columns and 50 rows. Currently displaying rows 1 to 25.
CityFinal RankingHome Price1-Year Growth %Median Household IncomeRank: Walk & TransitRank: Safety & Air
1Annapolis, MD1st$485,0008.9%$104,2571823
2Montpelier, VT2nd$356,000−2.5%$79,175153
3Nashville, TN3rd$421,5001.9%$80,217145
4Juneau, AK4th$509,285−0.7%$100,5133818
5Boise, ID5th$491,8001.2%$79,97733
6Atlanta, GA6th$382,9001.0%$85,8801347
7Springfield, IL7th$191,00012.3%$63,8492825
8Saint Paul, MN8th$393,4001.4%$73,975435
9Austin, TX9th$481,800−0.8%$91,5012144
10Pierre, SD10th$346,22521.5%$74,053338
11Boston, MA11th$758,7001.8%$96,931212
12Bismarck, ND12th$314,5007.3%$75,8464516
13Lincoln, NE13th$303,4002.5%$68,0502913
14Albany, NY14th$330,3005.5%$61,390814
15Jefferson City, MO15th$247,95010.2%$67,205499
16Raleigh, NC16th$472,300−1.3%$86,3093332
17Charleston, WV17th$192,7001.2%$64,5124630
18Concord, NH18th$476,5005.9%$83,701502
19Oklahoma City, OK19th$261,5004.1%$67,0153739
20Salem, OR20th$449,900−1.4%$72,827257
21Richmond, VA21st$425,8006.0%$65,6501620
22Des Moines, IA22nd$304,9002.5%$60,8822319
23Lansing, MI23rd$234,9003.4%$55,1972028
24Sacramento, CA24th$560,0003.3%$85,9281843
25Denver, CO25th$654,600−2.7%$94,1571050