Lansing, Flint Listed Among ‘Best Cities to Live in the U.S.’, But There’s a Catch

Six Michigan cities make the U.S. News & World Report list of the "Best Cities to Live in the U.S." for 2024-2025, but it's not necessarily the compliment it might seem.

The study ranks cities from all around the United States and its territories. Each city included in the survey was ranked according to its quality of life, the health of its job market, and whether residents actually want to live there, among a variety of other metrics.

How Well Did Michigan Cities Fare?

Among the Michigan cities included on the "Best Cities to Live in the U.S." list, Ann Arbor comes in at #19 overall - better than any other place in the Mitten State. The quality of life in Ann Arbor is ranked higher than anywhere else in America.

Grand Rapids shows up at #45 overall - not too shabby. Other Michigan cities appearing on the "Best Cities to Live in the U.S." list include Kalamazoo at #90, Lansing at #104, Flint at #146, and Detroit at #149.

Ah, But There's a Catch

At first glance, that's exciting news for Michigan, right? Even much-maligned cities like Flint and Detroit have finally ended up on a "Best Cities" list?

READ MORE: The 'Best Place to Raise a Family in Michigan' Is Just Outside Lansing

Here's the thing. U.S. News simply selected 150 cities it wanted to rank in its study then compared them against one another. Not every city in America was even evaluated. Just these select 150.

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What does that mean? It means that of the 150 American cities this study ranked, Michigan is home to two of the bottom five. Detroit is 2nd worst (behind only San Juan, Puerto Rico), and Flint is 5th worst.

Not exactly the news those cities want to see.