Looking for a place to move? Look no further than Colorado.
Both Denver and Colorado Springs ranked in the top three of the 2019 U.S. News Best Places to Live rankings.
Denver checked in at number two on the list behind Austin, with Colorado Springs landing at number three.
While the natives may not be ecstatic with all the people moving to the state, it's hard to deny Colorado's attraction.
Both Denver and Colorado Springs have ranked in the top three each of the last two years, primarily due to strong job markets and high desirability.
The rankings are based on local job markets, affordability and value, quality of life, desirability (based on a survey) and net migration. Each of those values are added up and combined into a score out of 10.
Both Colorado cities scored a 7.4 out of 10, just below Austin's 7.6. Denver received a 7.9 out of 10 for job market and an 8.8 for desirability.
Colorado Springs knocked the desirability index out of the park, scoring a perfect 10. The city also had a 6.8 in job market and a 6.6 in value.
Here are the top 10 overall.
1. Austin, TX 2. Denver, CO 3. Colorado Springs, CO 4. Fayetteville, AR 5. Des Moines, IA 6. Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN 7. San Francisco, CA 8. Portland, OR 9. Seattle, WA 10. Raleigh & Durham, NC
Last August, the Economist ran a cover story on why startups are leaving Silicon Valley, citing the region’s sky-high housing costs and an entrepreneur’s desire for a higher quality of life.
While it’ll be difficult to trace the impact of rankings like the U.S. News’ on the state’s innovation economy, it’s evident that as startups continue to leave the Bay Area, they’ll be looking for a ‘best place to live.’
