Indiana City Once Again Ranked as the BEST Small City in America

Living in a "big" city certainly has its advantages - lots of things to see and do, lots of shopping and dining choices, and lots of people - but big city life isn't for everybody. The same things that make a big city attractive to some, also drive others away to live in a smaller city. In fact, some studies show that nearly half of Americans prefer to live in the suburbs, as opposed to urban or rural areas. A couple of reasons for this include smaller populations and a lower cost of living.

READ MORE: Two So. Indiana Schools Named 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools

Each year, WalletHub releases a report of the Best Small Cities in America, and each year, Indiana has several cities near the top of the list - and 2024 is no different. To get these results, WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on these five categories:

1. Affordability
2. Economic Health
3. Education & Health
4. Quality of Life
5. Safety

Indiana is Home to the BEST Small City in America!

At the very top of the list, claiming the #1 spot for the second year in a row, is CARMEL, IN. Carmel is considered the best small city to live in due to its strong economic factors, including a low unemployment rate of 3% and affordable rent. Carmel also excels in health and safety, boasting one of the lowest shares of adults in poor health, a low premature death rate, and low pedestrian fatality and violent crime rates.

Three Other Indiana Cities Made the Top 15

• The 4th best small city in America (moving up one slot from 2023) is FISHERS, IN, which scored especially well in Affordability, Education & Health, and Safety.
• WESTFIELD, IN landed at #10 on the list, which is a slight drop from 4th best in 2023. Westfield had exceptional scores in Affordability and Safety.
• And just barely cracking the top 15 in 2024 is NOBLESVILLE, IN.
• All four of these cities are in the 99th percentile, meaning they are in the top one percent of small cities in America.

The Small Indiana City That Has the Most Room to Improve

The results of the study weren't all great for the Hoosier state. One small city in particular found itself towards the bottom of the list in several categories. I hate to do this to you WEST LAFAYETTE, but I gotta present the good and the bad.

• West Lafayette ranks 1,317th (out of 1,318) in highest housing costs
• West Lafayette ranks 1,314th in the highest percentage of the population in poverty
• West Lafayette ranks 1,318th (last) in income growth

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You can scroll over this interactive map to see the rest of the results, but your eyes might go crossed looking at all those dots.

The results are a little bit easier to see HERE, along with any other information you might want about the study.