[Vision2020] Best Cities to Live in Every State

[Kenneth Marcy]

Best Cities to Live in Every State


http://247wallst.com/special-report/2018/01/26/best-cities-to-live-in-every-state/



The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.6% in the fourth
quarter, capping 15 straight quarters of economic growth. The economy
has added jobs for more than seven years. The Dow Jones industrial
average has now climbed above 25,000 points, a level many would have
deemed unreachable half a decade ago.

The United States is in the midst of a period of economic prosperity.
This period of ongoing prosperity — to the alarm of many economists —
has come with a widening gap between the rich and poor. As corporations
and wealthy Americans are getting an increasingly larger piece of the
pie, the middle class is dwindling and many of the nation’s poor are
finding it increasingly difficult to earn a living wage and find steady
employment.

Uneven prosperity in the United States is evident not just across its
classes, but also geographically. In Camden, New Jersey, over 35% of the
population lives in poverty, while in Clifton, also in New Jersey, the
poverty rate is just 8.6%. Clifton is just one example of the cities
where living conditions tend to vastly exceed the typical city
nationwide. In each state, at least one city fares, if not better the
nation as a whole, then better than the rest of the state.

24/7 Wall St. created an index of over three dozen socioeconomic
measures to identify the best American city to live in each state.


Source: Charles Knowles / Shutterstock.com

*12. Idaho*
*> Best city to live:* Meridian
*> Population:* 95,627
*> Median home value:* $236,200
*> Poverty rate:* 6.2% (lowest 10%)
*> Adults with at least a bachelor’s degree:* 36.7%

The population of Meridian, Idaho increased by 24.6% over the last five
years — faster than in all but a handful of U.S. cities and many times
faster than the U.S. population growth rate of 3.7% over the same
period. Many new Meridian residents likely moved to the city for
economic opportunities. Total employment in Meridian climbed 8.7% from
2014 through 2016, more than twice the comparable job growth rate
nationwide. Also, only 3.3% of Meridian’s workers were out of a job as
of 2016, compared to the 3.8% state and 4.9% national unemployment rates.

Rapid job growth and low unemployment are often characteristics of
relatively safe places, and Meridian is no exception. The city’s violent
crime rate of 110 incidents per 100,000 people is less than half the
statewide rate and less than one third the U.S. violent crime rate.


http://247wallst.com/special-report/2018/01/26/best-cities-to-live-in-every-state/




Ken


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