This article was originally published in 2020 and was updated on June 17, 2026 to reflect new rankings.
What makes a city a great place to live? For the past decade, Resonance—a consultancy group in real estate, tourism, and economic development—has considered how livable, loved, and prosperous a city is to create its comprehensive ranking of the best cities in the United States for travelers and residents. (Resonance runs similar reports for global cities and European cities.)
“A city can rank in the Top 10 on every livability metric and still not be recognized as a desirable place to live,” says Resonance president and CEO Chris Fair. “The places Americans most want to live are, almost without exception, the places they most want to visit.” That tracks with this year’s ranking: New York City, which saw 65 million visitors in 2025, is number one for the 10th year running.
Read on to see how Resonance compiles its rankings of the 100 best cities in the United States to live in and visit—and who’s on top this year.
How the cities are ranked
To determine which cities would be considered for this list, Resonance looked at U.S. cities with populations of more than 500,000 through the lens of three pillars: Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity. Each city was ranked based on quantitative data in categories such as air quality index, median gross rent, and the number and quality of museums and galleries.
Each city’s ranking was also influenced by qualitative information from survey data. Resonance partnered with market and opinion research company Ipsos to collect perception-based data on these topics, surveying more than 2,000 adults with these questions:
Livability: Which cities would you most like to live in?
Lovability: Which cities would you most like to visit?
Prosperity: Where do you believe the best job opportunities exist?
This combination of survey data and core statistics came together for a city’s Place Power Score, which was then used to rank each place. There were some surprises this year; Washington, D.C. and San Diego fell out of the top 10 while Dallas and Houston clawed their way up.
1. New York City
The New York City borough of Queens holds the Guinness World Record for most ethnically diverse urban area on the planet.
Highlighted rankings: Livability (1), Lovability (1), Prosperity (1)
Why we love it: New York City has taken the top spot in Resonance’s annual rankings for the 10th year in a row. Make no mistake: Being at the top is no easy feat. But the Big Apple has proved its staying power with new reasons for visitors to return. This year, New York has a dozen new Broadway shows, including Much Ado About Nothing with Tom Hiddleston, the New Museum has reopened on the Bowery after a two-year renovation, and NYC (and its neighbor, New Jersey) are hosting 2026 World Cup matches.
Flying into NYC’s three airports has improved, too. John F. Kennedy International Airport is currently undergoing a $19 billion facelift, and Terminal 1 is set to debut its first 14 gates in late 2026. When completed (estimated in 2030), the terminal will have 23 gates and more than 300,000 square feet dedicated to retail and dining. The area’s other airports, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, have also undergone renovations in the past couple of years.
Plenty is going on in the hotel scene, too. The legendary Waldorf Astoria New York reopened in fall 2025 after an eight-year, $2-billion overhaul (it made Afar’s Best New Hotels list this year), while the W New York at Union Square began welcoming back guests after a two-year renovation with Union Square’s only rooftop bar.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to New York.
2. Los Angeles, California
The Hollywood sign turned 100 in 2023; today, the city’s ranking is as much about new openings and future events as its storied history.
Photo by Maks Urshov/Shutterstock
Highlighted rankings: Livability (2), Lovability (2), Prosperity (2)
Why we love it: While thoughts of Los Angeles generally bring to mind Hollywood and the film industry, the sports scene will be one to watch in the coming years. SoFi Stadium is hosting eight World Cup matches this summer, the Super Bowl (2027), and the Olympic and Paralympic Games (2028).
Beyond the field, cultural developments include the April 2026 opening of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s $835-million expansion; the brand new Dataland, the world’s first AI art museum; and George Lucas’s hotly anticipated Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, opening in September. Massive infrastructure improvements are well underway for the city too: One of the biggest is Brightline West, a 218-mile, all-electric train that aims to bring travelers between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in two hours and is expected to run by 2029.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Los Angeles.
3. Chicago, Illinois
Millennium Park is just one of Chicago’s many scenic outdoor spaces.
Photo by Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock
Highlighted rankings: Livability (4), Lovability (4), Prosperity (3)
Why we love it: There’s plenty to celebrate in Chicago. Its legendary skyline has introduced CitizenM’s 280-room tower and Jeanne Gang’s 101-story St. Regis (also making history as the tallest building in the world designed by a woman). ACME Hotel Chicago, part of the Outset Collection by Hilton, opened just off Magnificent Mile in December 2025, and Hyatt Regency Chicago, the city’s largest hotel, emerged from a massive renovation in April 2026. And on Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Presidential Center is finally open , adding one more major cultural space to a city that already ranks no. 4 for its museums.
Summer brings world-class festivals, including Lollapalooza and the free Millennium Park Summer Music Series
The city’s dining scene is only getting hotter, with a push from the FX series The Bear and plenty of noteworthy restaurants openings. These include All Well, a French-Japanese restaurant run by two chefs from two-Michelin-starred Oriole, and the boisterous Noodles Party in Mayfair, where the Thai street-food menu changes weekly. The city has close to 200 breweries as well.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Chicago.
4. Miami, Florida
The beachside location of Miami is hard to resist.
Photo by pisaphotography/Shutterstock
Highlighted rankings: Livability (3), Lovability (5), Prosperity (13)
Why we love it: Miami jumped from sixth place to fourth this year. In this city, 54.5 percent of residents are foreign-born, you’ll hear Spanish, English, Haitan Creole, Portuguese, and French being spoken on the street. this diversity is evident in the buzz-worthy restaurant scene as well that ranges from Japanese 12-seater Ogawa in Little River to Michelin-lauded hot spot Panamericano Bar in Mary Brickell Village to the tourist-thronged (for good reason) Versailles in Little Havana.
In 2023, Brightline launched its 235-mile train that runs between Miami and Orlando, making it much easier to get to and from big events like Art Basel Miami or to just pop down for a weekend getaway.
A new Waldorf Astoria Hotel is expected to open downtown in 2028, Delano Miami Beach reopened in May after a six-year renovation, and Aman Miami Beach will debut next year. The oceanfront Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne recently unveiled its first full-scale redevelopment since its 2001 opening; the upgrades include a reimagined lobby, spa upgrades, and a restructured culinary program.
And in addition to two national parks in the Miami area (Biscayne and Everglades), there’s a new urban park right next to the airport: Miami Freedom Park gives locals 58 acres of public green space and Nu Stadium, home to the city’s MLS team Inter Miami.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Miami.
5. San Francisco, California
The Painted Ladies on Alamo Square are an iconic San Francisco image.
Photo by Joshua Sortino/Unsplash
Highlighted rankings: Livability (5), Lovability (10), Prosperity (7)
Why we love it: San Francisco has long drawn people and companies alike—Afar included—to the West Coast. Thanks to the Bay Area’s world-renowned universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley, San Francisco has one of the most educated and prosperous populations.
San Francisco ranks no. 1 for walkability, whether in the city or in green spaces like Sunset Dunes, a two-mile, 50-acre oceanfront park that opened in April 2025. In 2026, the iconic Castro Theatre’s returned after a $41-million overhaul, a new exhibition space dedicated to artist Ruth Asawa in Dogpatch and, at Japantown’s Peace Plaza, a renovation has added more seating, plants and lighting. On the hotel side, the 122-year-old Huntington Hotel has finally reopened after a six-year closure, its indoor pool and buzzy restaurant once again full.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to San Francisco.
6. Seattle, Washington
Populus Seattle has a rooftop bar, an artist residency, and a regenerative ethos.
Courtesy of Popular Seattle
Highlighted rankings: Livability (6), Lovability (9), Prosperity (9)
Seattle is where high quality of life comes from continued investment from big tech and (literally) greener pastures.
The 20-acre Waterfront Park opened in September 2025 with a protected bike lane, wide promenades for strolling, and a playground with a giant squid. Over in Pioneer Square, the 120-room Populus Seattle opened last summer as part of RailSpur, a micro-district where three early 20th-century warehouses have been turned into an art, design, and dining hub.
Crosslake Connection, the world’s first light-rail floating bridge, opened here in 2026. It links Eastside (the suburbs) with Seattle, Sea–Tac airport, and metropolitan area cities including Lynnwood and Federal Way.
The city’s balance of urbanity and access to the outdoors (it ranked no. six in the Nature & Parks category) draw tastemakers and creatives in various fields—many of whom spoke to Afar for our Great American Cities feature on Seattle.
Related: Seattle Is Booming—Here’s How Locals Are Keeping the Emerald City Green
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Seattle.
7. Las Vegas
The Sphere is the world’s largest spherical structure.
Photo by ByDroneVideos/Shutterstock
Highlighted rankings: Livability (14), Lovability (3), Prosperity (16)
Why we love it: Vegas was ranked the third-most lovable city in America, so perhaps it’s not surprising it jumped up from its 2025 overall ranking of no. 9. The city’s Harry International Reid Airport has gotten a major glow-up of late, with the opening of three premium lounges.
Visitors have more options for accommodation and entertainment than ever before, including the Sphere and the 2027 opening of the 700‑foot Hard Rock Guitar tower where the Mirage once stood. The 33,000‑seat Oakland A’s ballpark will open on the Strip in February 2028. And in 2029, the Las Vegas Museum of Art (LVMA) hopes to open the city’s first stand-alone art museum, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Francis Kéré.
Las Vegas has become a food destination in its own right. In the past few months alone, chef Gabriela Cámara opened Cantina Contramar, an outpost of her Mexico City seafood institution, James Beard Award–winning chef Kwame Onwuachi opened his Afro-Caribbean steakhouse Maroon in the Sahara hotel and casino, and Casa Playa chef Sarah Thompson took home Sin City’s first James Beard Award for Best Chef in 15 years.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Las Vegas.
8. Dallas, Texas
Two draws in Dallas? Street art and French-inspired restaurant Mamani, which has one Michelin star.
Courtesy of Visit Dallas (L); courtesy of Mamani (R)
Highlighted rankings: Livability (12), Lovability (11), Prosperity (4)
Why we love it: Dallas made a huge jump from no. 14 in 2025, ousting Washington, D.C., which in turn fell to no. 14 this year. DFW is the world’s third busiest airport, and its Terminal C is adding 9 new gates, the first of which should open this year, with Terminal F following suit in 2027. The city hosted the IndyCar Grand Prix of Arlington in March, and nearby Arlington is hosting nine World Cup matches.
On the hospitality side, loads of new restaurants are popping up, among them Olōyō, a contemporary Mexican restaurant in East Dallas owned by James Beard–nominated chef Olivia Lopez and her partner, Jonathan Percival. Last year’s Michelin Guide Texas saw sushi spot Tatsu Dallas keep its star and French eatery Mamani earn one. In the Knox / Henderson neighborhood, the Knox Hotel, Auberge Collection is expected to open later in 2026, with 140 rooms and a rooftop pool.
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Dallas.
9. Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S.
Highlighted rankings: Livability (9), Lovability (6), Prosperity (23)
Why we love it: Houston, too, flew up the ranksn from no. 13 in 2025. Nearly one-third of Greater Houston’s residents were born abroad, and a February 2026 study by WalletHub found it to be the fifth most-diverse city in the country, ahead of even New York.
All of that diversity is reflected in particular in its food. Houston ranks no. 3 in the Restaurants category, with everything from a Native American tasting menu at Ishtia to Viola & Agnes’ Creole home cooking.
At IAH airport, a $2.55 billion overhaul of Terminal B is on track to be finished this fall. Downtown, the seven-block Main Street Promenade emerged from a year-long renovation in early June, increasing tree coverage and adding more murals.
Spend the night at the Marlene, nine antique-filled rooms in the Montrose neighborhood; Hotel Daphne, a maximalist 49-room boutique in the Heights; or at the Greenleigh, River Oaks, Autograph Collection which opened in May in Uptown/Galleria).
Plan your trip with Afar’s Guide to Houston.
10. Boston, Massachusetts
Historical landmarks draw millions of tourists to Boston each year.
Photo by f11photo/Shutterstock
Highlighted rankings: Livability (9), Lovability (13), Prosperity (10)
Why we love it: Boston is home to 75 institutions of higher learning—including Harvard and MIT—giving it the top spot in the university category. But it’s not only students who come to Boston. The oldest large city in the United States draws millions of tourists each year to see historical landmarks along the Freedom Trail, including the USS Constitution and the King’s Chapel. Now that the country celebrating its 250th anniversary, 2026 is the time to visit Boston.
The old city is getting some upgrades, including 5,000 more hotelrooms by 2030. Lyrik Back Bay, built over the Massachusetts Turnpike, is a $1.1 billion mixed-use development that has more than 35,000 square feet of retail and dining space as well as citizenM’s largest hotel. And in mid June 2026, the Hilton Boston Back Bay wrapped up a massive renovation, unveiling 401 more contemporary guest rooms.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Boston.
To see the full list of the 100 best cities in the United States, visit Worldsbestcities.com.
Sophie Friedman contributed to the reporting of this story.
