Oswego Among Best Small Cities For Affordability

OSWEGO, IL — The Village of Oswego made it to the top 10 percent of America's best small cities, according to WalletHub. The personal finance website recently released a study based on 33 "key indicators" of livability, which are all weighted and distributed though a points system in five categories. The 99th percentile represents the top 1 percent of small cities in America, according to the study.

Wallethub found that out of 1,268 cities, Oswego is in the 90th percentile overall. It fared well in the affordability category at no. 49, and safety, but landed toward the bottom for its quality of life ranking. Illinois towns of Carol Stream and Park Ridge were slightly below Oswego overall, and Crystal Lake and Batavia were just above, in the 91st percentile. Highland Park and Algonquin were the top two small Illinois cities, according to the study.

To determine the sample, researchers took cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000, excluding their greater metro areas. Categories were: Affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life and safety. Among the 30 weighted key indicators used were coffee shops per capita, number of people with health insurance, obesity and graduation rates.

The top-ranked city was Princeton, New Jersey, while Bessemer, Alabama, which calls itself "The Marvel City," ranked last. Read the full rankings here.

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