Lexington is a top-15 city in new Best Places To Live rankings 

U.S. News & World Report recently released its new rankings for the Best Places to Live in the United States, a prestigious list of 150 major cities in this great country. “To make the top of the list, a place had to have good value, be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market and a high quality of life,” the story’s introduction notes, before revealing a new No. 1 city in 2024-25.

At the top, Naples, Florida, was named the top-ranked city in America, climbing from sixth in 2023-24. Naples received a 7.1 overall score based on U.S. News’ methodology for the order.

Following Naples, the top five cities, in order, are Boise, Idaho (7.0); Colorado Springs, Colorado (7.0); Greenville, South Carolina (6.9); and Charlotte, North Carolina (6.8).

Not much further down the Best Places To Live list, Lexington, Kentucky, ranked No. 15. The relatively low cost of living, diverse job market, and stable economy boosted the 6.6 overall score.

Lexington was ranked 34th in 2023-24.

Louisville made the Top 50; Ashland dropped from the rankings

One other Kentucky city ranked among the 50 best in 2024-25: Louisville came in at No. 42, climbing 33 spots from a No. 75 ranking last year. “Learning to pronounce Louisville correctly is the first step to becoming a real Louisvillian,” Louisville’s bio reads. “Lou-uh-vull” (with the “Lou” and the “uh” slightly combining) is the correct pronunciation.”

While Louisville rose, another Kentucky disappeared from the rankings. Ashland, Kentucky, dropped from No. 66 to unranked. Last year, Ashland shared No. 3 overall with Huntington, West Virginia, as one city. This year, Huntington was listed without Ashland, ranking 86th.

Ashland carried that 2023-24 ranking, obviously.

Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2024-2025