If your current living location has turned out to be too expensive, isolated, or even boring or you’ve just been looking for a change of scenery, you need not worry as here we have listed out some amazing places in the U.S. for you to choose from. 
1. Boulder, Colorado
Metro Population: 321,030
Median Home Price: $524,417
Average Annual Salary: $64,690
Boulder might be a new addition to the list of best places to live but it’s definitely not a disappointment as it debuts as the No. 1 place to live in the U.S. for 2020-2021. Having a positive reputation among U.S. residents, Boulder provides an excellent education for high schoolers, tying for the top spot with San Jose. With the mountains at their doorstep and an average annual salary of more than $64,000, the residents of Boulder get to enjoy a high quality of life.
2. Denver
Metro Population: 2,850,221
Median Home Price: $401,542
Average Annual Salary: $59,440
Denver isn’t overrated in any way when it comes to being a desirable destination for U.S. residents, and its pre-pandemic job market has been dependably steady from year to year.
3. Austin, Texas
Metro Population: 2,058,351
Median Home Price: $313,308
Average Annual Salary: $53,810
For three years in a row, Austin has been ranked No. 1 Best Place to Live in the U.S. It now falls as the 3rd best but still for many people, Austin remains an ideal place to live. Its steady job market, high quality of life, and resumed long-term population growth as a result of net migration are some of the perks to consider if you’re planning to make a move.
4. Colorado Springs, Colorado
Metro Population: 712,266
Median Home Price: $304,500
Average Annual Salary: $51,430
Regardless of the fact that it holds the 4th spot in the overall list of the best places to live, Colorado Springs is also the most desirable place to live as it shares the utmost spot with Honolulu and Los Angeles. Having a consistent increase in the population as a result of net migration and a continuously steady job market gives Colorado Springs an almost top ranking on this list.
5. Fort Collins, Colorado
Metro Population: 338,161
Median Home Price: $381,358
Average Annual Salary: $51,050
Fort Collins is a small metro area in Colorado that’s witnessing quite a lot of growth recently. It is located around 30 miles south of the Colorado-Wyoming state line. Among the list of 150 metro areas, Fort Collins ranks as the ninth for population growth because of net migration, which showed an increment of 8.34% from 2014 to 2018, as noted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
6. Charlotte, North Carolina
Metro Population: 2,473,125
Median Home Price: $231,233
Average Annual Salary: $51,000
Charlotte obtains its high ranking all thanks to its fast and sustained population growth. As a result of net migration alone, the Charlotte metro area increased by 5.83% between 2014 and 2018. With several U.S. residents being interested in living there as compared to other places, Charlotte also rounded out as the top 10 most desirable places to live.
7. Des Moines, Iowa
Metro Population: 634,201
Median Home Price: $196,067
Average Annual Salary: $52,220
Taking the 7th spot on our list, Des Moines has many of its aspects to thank for. Among which falls the continued growth in its job market before the start of the pandemic, well-managed migration to the metro area, and steady quality of life. Also maintaining a low cost of living in comparison to the median household income, Des Moines ranks third for affordability among the 150 metro areas on the list.
8. Fayetteville, Arkansas
Metro Population: 526,412
Median Home Price: $192,708
Average Annual Salary: $46,470
Fayetteville is a steadily growing metro area in Arkansas and has been a strong contender in the list of best places to live for quite some time. This year too, because of its low cost of living in comparison with the household income, solid population growth which is a result of net migration, and topnotch quality of life scores, Fayetteville gets ranked at the 8th spot.
9. Portland, Oregon
Metro Population: 2,417,931
Median Home Price: $390,350
Average Annual Salary: $56,160
Portland is viewed as a highly desirable place to live by U.S. residents. Having the 4th rank in that category, Portland falls behind Colorado Springs, Colorado, Honolulu, and Los Angeles, which are tied for the topmost position. A steady job market and continuous growth in population because of net migration over a five-year period are the reasons why this place gets the 9th rank on our list.
10. San Francisco
Metro Population: 4,673,221
Median Home Price: $782,350
Average Annual Salary: $72,400
Even though it falls back a few spots down this year, San Francisco still gets seated at a high rank, thanks to its steady job market which ranks second among the 150 metro areas on the list, followed by its Bay Area neighbor San Jose. The unemployment rate in San Francisco was just 2.6% before the start of the pandemic. The average annual salary of the metro area is $72,400.
11. Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina
Metro Population: 1,861,123
Median Home Price: $259,429
Average Annual Salary: $54,789
Continuing to be a desirable place for people to relocate, the Raleigh and Durham metro area have their affordability and job market to thank for. The area has research, technology, healthcare, and education industries that are continually growing. As a result of net migration, the Raleigh and Durham metro area grew by 5.44% from 2014 to 2018, noted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
12. Ann Arbor, Michigan
Metro Population: 365,961
Median Home Price: $263,225
Average Annual Salary: $55,130
Mostly recognized as the home of the University of Michigan, this metro area in southeastern Michigan receives the topmost score among the 150 most crowded metro areas in the U.S. According to the data from the U.S. News Best Hospitals ranking, this place has access to quality healthcare and gets a high ranking, tied with Reading, Pennsylvania; York, Pennsylvania; and Trenton, New Jersey. The high school students of Ann Arbor also appear ready for higher education as this metro area lines up third in college readiness, following Boulder, Colorado, and San Jose.
13. Seattle
Metro Population: 3,809,717
Median Home Price: $463,600
Average Annual Salary: $65,400
Ranking 13th in our list, Seattle gets high desirability among U.S. residents as a place to live. It also provides a continuously steady job market. Out of the 150 metro areas on the list, the job market of Seattle grants it a high ranking for desirability at 12th. Seattle holds the fifth-highest average salary on the list, having an average individual salary of $65,400.
14. Naples, Florida
Metro Population: 363,922
Median Home Price: $326,900
Average Annual Salary: $46,290
With a little over 350,000 residents, Naples is quite a small metro area. It has a southern location on the Gulf Coast of Florida where the Everglades begin. Even though Naples doesn’t entice an equal number of tourists as Miami or Tampa, many people still want to move there, and many have already done so. At the moment, Naples is a fast-growing metro area.
15. Huntsville, Alabama
Metro Population: 450,612
Median Home Price: $179,175
Average Annual Salary: $54,630
Huntsville is a northern Alabama metro area, and it’s also the most affordable place to live among the 150 most crowded metro areas in the U.S. It provides a steadily growing job market, with several local companies having their focus on science, technology, engineering, and math.
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