A New England metro ranked as the No. 1 most livable in the U.S. It’s not Boston.

Metro Boston ranked third for quality of life, No. 70 for location and community, and No. 115 for socioeconomics, according to RentCafe.

Portland, Maine, ranked No. 1 on the list of most livable U.S. metros in 2024, and metro Boston came in 17th, according to a recent RentCafe report.

The apartment search website analyzed 139 metropolitan areas across 17 key metrics of livability, including cost of living, share of severe housing problems, unemployment rate, income inequality ratio, and several others, according to the report’s methodology.

“To determine the most livable metropolitan area, the RentCafe.com analytics team used a composite index to compare metros across three main categories: socioeconomics, quality of life, and location and community,” according to the report.

While Portland, Maine, ranked No. 1 overall, the area ranked fifth in terms of quality of life, fifth for location and community, and 11th for socioeconomics. The report highlighted Portland’s higher education opportunities, steady income growth, fresh food sources, diverse healthcare providers, and sports facilities.

Story continues

TRENDING NOW

LATEST LOCAL NEWS