This Is The Best City In Virginia To Live In

Dale City is the best city in Virginia to live in, according to a new list that ranks the best cities to reside in every state.

The list, compiled by 24/7 Wall Street, notes that residents in the Prince William County location "have relatively easy access to the entertainment and cultural amenities of nearby Washington D.C. Many likely work in high-paying jobs in and around the nation’s capital."

The typical Dale City household earns about $95,600 a year, nearly $40,000 more than is typical nationwide and more than $27,000 above Virginia's median income, 24/7 Wall Street says. The area has Virginia's most affordable housing, with the typical home worth about 3.1 times Dale City's median household income.

Through its analysis, 24/7 Wall Street found that the majority of cities that made the list are home to a large share of college-educated adults than the share of college-educated adults nationwide (31.3 percent). Educated populations, 24/7 Wall Street writes, are more resilient to economic downturns.

Another trend noted by 24/7 Wall Street is that the violent crime rate for almost every city on the list is lower than the U.S. rate. The presence of cultural amenities and entertainment venues was another common factor for the cities.

To determine the best city to live in every state, 24/7 Wall Street considered the 550 cities with populations of 65,000 or more. If a state had no cities with a population of at least 65,000, all cities in the state with a population of 40,000 or more were considered.

Data was collected in nine categories:

• Crime
• Demography
• Economy
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Housing
• Infrastructure
• Leisure

24/7 Wall Street used data from Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Service, the FBI’s 2016 Uniform Crime Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and ATTOM Data Solutions. For each category, specific measures contributed to a city’s overall score.

See the full list from 24/7 Wall Street here.

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