- GoBankingRates recently released a study determing the best suburb in each major metropolitan statistical area in all 50 US states.
- The August 2019 study evaluated each suburb on its crime rates (sourced from Neighborhood Scout), housing affordability (sourced from Zillow), annual cost of living (sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics), and school district scores (sourced from Niche).
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
There’s a widespread stereotype that living in the suburbs is boring. But that’s not always the case. The best suburbs offer access to parks and cultural activities, good job prospects, and top restaurants – in addition to low crime rates and well-regarded public schools.
GoBankingRates, a website that conducts finance-based studies, recently determined the best suburb in each US state based on major metropolitan statistical areas (MSA).
For the purposes of the study, GoBankingRates defined “suburbs” as cities located within 45 minutes driving distance of the principal city in the MSA (according to Google Maps) and with populations under 100,000. Note that there are multiple MSAs in certain states, resulting in multiple top-ranked suburbs for those states.
Read more: The 50 best suburbs in America, ranked
GoBankingRates evaluated each suburb by considering the violent crime rate and the property crime rate per 1,000 residents (sourced from Neighborhood Scout), the median home list price and median monthly rent (sourced from Zillow and current as of May 2019), the annual cost of living (sourced from the Bureau of Labor Stastistics' most recent Consumer Expenditure Survey for 2017-18), and the school district score (sourced from Niche).
Each suburb was scored on the same factors, and you can read a full breakdown of the methodology here. We've also included population size for each of the best suburbs, sourced from Niche.
Keep reading to see if your suburb made the list.
ALABAMA: Vestavia Hills, Athens, and Millbrook
Vestavia Hills
Nearest city: Birmingham
Population: 34,003
Athens
Nearest city: Huntsville
Population:24,735
Millbrook
Nearest city: Montgomery
Population: 14,994
ALASKA: Wasilla
Wasilla
Nearest city: Anchorage
Population:9,296
ARIZONA: Buckeye and Vail
Buckeye
Nearest city: Phoenix
Population:62,090
Vail
Nearest City: Tucson
Population: 11,735
ARKANSAS: Cabot
Cabot
Nearest city: Little Rock
Population: 25,732
CALIFORNIA: Yorba Linda, Rocklin, San Marcos, Pleasanton, and Cupertino
Yorba Linda
Nearest city: Los Angeles
Population: 67,740
Rocklin
Nearest city: Sacramento
Population: 61,697
San Marcos
Nearest city: San Diego
Population: 93,493
Pleasanton
Nearest city: San Francisco
Population: 79,341
Cupertino
Nearest city: San Jose
Population: 60,687
COLORADO: Monument and Castle Rock
Monument
Nearest city: Colorado Springs
Population: 6,760
Castle Rock
Nearest City: Denver
Population: 57,274
CONNECTICUT: Westport
Westport
Nearest city: Bridgeport
Population:27,777
DELAWARE: Elsmere
Elsmere
Nearest city: Wilmington
Population: 6,097
FLORIDA: Fleming Island, Sunrise, Altamonte Springs, and Sun City Center
Fleming Island
Nearest city: Jacksonville
Population: 29,169
Sunrise
Nearest city: Miami
Population: 92,272
Altamonte Springs
Nearest city: Orlando
Population: 43,084
Sun City Center
Nearest city: Tampa
Population: 21,986
GEORGIA: Sugar Hill
Sugar Hill
Nearest city: Atlanta
Population: 21,644
HAWAII: Mililani
Mililani
Nearest city: Honolulu
Population: 28,343
IDAHO: Meridian
Meridian
Nearest city: Boise
Population: 91,917
ILLINOIS: Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove
Nearest city: Chicago
Population: 41,551
INDIANA: New Haven and Lebanon
New Haven
Nearest city: Fort Wayne
Population: 15,895
Lebanon
Nearest city: Indianapolis
Population: 15,710
IOWA: Norwalk
Norwalk
Nearest city: Des Moines
Population: 10,179
KANSAS: Derby
Derby
Nearest city: Wichita
Population: 23,712
KENTUCKY: Georgetown and Shelbyville
Georgetown
Nearest city: Lexington
Population: 32,142
Shelbyville
Nearest city: Louisville
Population: 15,318
LOUISIANA: Baker and Luling
Baker
Nearest city: Baton Rouge
Population: 13,694
Luling
Nearest city: New Orleans
Population: 13,088
MAINE: Saco
Saco
Nearest city: Portland
Population: 19,127
MARYLAND: Aberdeen and Damascus
Aberdeen
Nearest city: Baltimore
Population: 15,523
Damascus
Nearest city: Washington, DC
Population: 15,423
MASSACHUSETTS: Reading
Reading
Nearest city: Boston
Population: 25,769
MICHIGAN: Berkley
Berkley
Nearest city: Detroit
Population: 15,269
MINNESOTA: Waconia
Waconia
Nearest city: Minneapolis
Population: 11,751
MISSISSIPPI: Pearl
Pearl
Nearest city: Jackson
Population: 26,468
MISSOURI: Grain Valley and Maryland Heights
Grain Valley
Nearest city: Kansas City
Population: 13,480
Maryland Heights
Nearest city: St. Louis
Population: 27,246
MONTANA: Laurel
Laurel
Nearest city: Billings
Population: 6,885
NEBRASKA: Bellevue
Bellevue
Nearest city: Omaha
Population: 53,040
NEVADA: Boulder City
Boulder City
Nearest city: Las Vegas
Population: 15,648
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Milford
Milford
Nearest city: Manchester
Population: 15,288
NEW JERSEY: Bergenfield
Bergenfield
Nearest city: Newark
Population: 27,694
NEW MEXICO: Rio Rancho
Rio Rancho
Nearest city: Albuquerque
Population: 93,317
NEW YORK: Lockport and Deer Park
Lockport
Nearest city: Buffalo
Population: 20,676
Dear Park
Nearest city: New York City
Population: 27,653
NORTH CAROLINA: Harrisburg, Carrboro, Clayton, and Clemmons
Harrisburg
Nearest city: Charlotte
Population: 14,856
Carrboro
Nearest city: Durham
Population: 21,099
Clayton
Nearest city: Raleigh
Population: 19,306
Clemmons
Nearest city: Winston-Salem
Population: 19,844
NORTH DAKOTA: West Fargo
West Fargo
Nearest city: Fargo
Population: 33,089
OHIO: Fairfield, Mayfield Heights, Pataskala, and Bowling Green
Fairfield
Nearest city: Cincinnati
Population: 42,589
Mayfield Heights
Nearest city: Cleveland
Population: 18,841
Pataskala
Nearest city: Columbus
Population: 15,312
Bowling Green
Nearest city: Toledo
Population: 31,529
OKLAHOMA: El Reno and Claremore
El Reno
Nearest city: Oklahoma City
Population: 18,378
Claremore
Nearest city: Tulsa
Population: 18,777
OREGON: Sherwood
Sherwood
Nearest city: Portland
Population: 19,107
PENNSYLVANIA: Lansdale and Plum
Lansdale
Nearest city: Philadelphia
Population: 16,506
Plum
Nearest city: Pittsburgh
Population: 27,390
RHODE ISLAND: East Providence
East Providence
Nearest city: Providence
Population: 47,425
SOUTH CAROLINA: Mount Pleasant and Lexington
Mount Pleasant
Nearest city: Charleston
Population: 80,661
Lexington
Nearest city: Columbia
Population: 20,653
SOUTH DAKOTA: Brandon
Brandon
Nearest city: Sioux Falls
Population: 9,731
TENNESSEE: Maryville, Germantown, and La Vergne
Maryville
Nearest city: Knoxville
Population: 28,208
Germantown
Nearest city: Memphis
Population: 39,230
La Vergne
Nearest city: Nashville
Population: 35,905
TEXAS: Hutto, Murphy, Socorro, Friendswood, and New Braunfels
Hutto
Nearest city: Austin
Population: 22,644
Murphy
Nearest city: Dallas
Population: 20,361
Socorro
Nearest city: El Paso
Population: 33,587
Friendswood
Nearest city: Houston
Population: 38,811
New Braunfels
Nearest city: San Antonio
Population: 70,317
UTAH: Magna
Magna
Nearest city: Salt Lake City
Population: 28,257
VERMONT: South Burlington
South Burlington
Nearest city: Burlington
Population: 18,773
VIRGINIA: Mechanicsville and Poquoson
Mechanicsville
Nearest city: Richmond
Population: 37,674
Poquoson
Nearest city: Virginia Beach
Population: 12,022
WASHINGTON: Lake Stevens and Spokane Valley
Lake Stevens
Nearest city: Seattle
Population: 31,022
Spokane Valley
Nearest city: Spokane
Population: 94,424
WEST VIRGINIA: Hurricane
West Virginia
Nearest city: Huntington
Population: 6,450
WISCONSIN: Waunakee and Hartford
Waunakee
Nearest city: Madison
Population: 13,284
Hartford
Nearest city: Milwaukee
Population: 14,552
WYOMING: Green River
Green River
Nearest city: Rock Springs
Population: 12,396
