The 10 most desirable places to live in the U.S.

Home is where the heart is. There’s no place like home. There are plenty of sayings quotes to make light of where people call home and how they feel about it. Are you in the city you are meant to be in? Would you be happier moving somewhere else? Where would you go?

In a recent survey commissioned by Home Bay, 63 percent of Americans say they like where they live. That is down from 80 percent in 2022. So where are the best places to live, and what makes that city or town better? The survey was conducted in July, asking 1,000 people 26 questions about where they lived, which areas of the United States they preferred and what they think makes a city desirable. Home Bay collaborated with Allied Van Lines to capture recent moving trends, specifically which cities and states saw the most outbound and inbound moves from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023, and additionally supplemented the survey findings with data from the U.S. Census and Neighborhoodscout.com. They used that information to create a list of the Most Desirable Places to Live for 2023.

So, what makes a city desirable to live in? According to the survey, low crime tops the list (46 percent), followed closely by affordable homes (43 percent) and a low cost of living (41 percent). Living near the beach (29 percent) is preferable to city living (21 percent) or living near the mountains (14 percent), and while good weather is a perk (32 percent), more people prefer a location with a harsh winter and pleasant summers (53 percent) than somewhere with extreme summers and mild winters (47 percent).

The survey found that while 40 percent of Americans would prefer to live in a different area, almost 1 in 3 (29 percent) have actually packed up and moved. According to data from Allied Van Lines, Phoenix experienced the most inbound moves in the first six months of 2023, followed by Washington, D.C.; Dallas; Denver; and Tampa, while Chicago had the most outbound moves. Illinois had more outbound moves (69 percent) than any other state, while South Carolina had the most inbound moves (66 percent).

In addition to listing the most desirable cities, the survey ranks the least desirable along with most overrated and underrated cities. Click through the gallery above to see which cities were named the most desirable cities to live in.