Housing News

Here are the Best Places to Live in 2025

If you’re looking for an ideal place to live, it might be a good idea to look at some of the growing suburbs outside of large major cities. That’s because each of the 10 best places to live over the next year are exactly that—growing suburbs.

Johns Creek, Ga. topped the list of the best place to live in 2025 and 2026, according to the newly released 2025-2026 Best Places to Live. The report is published yearly by U.S. News & World Report.

Johns Creek, nearly 30 miles northeast of Atlanta, ranked No. 1 due to its “strong job market and desirability scores,” U.S. News said in a release. The city was also named the best place to live in Georgia and the best small city in the nation to live.

The ranking of Best Places to Live is based on a number of factors, including the city’s job market, value, quality of life and desirability. The publication considered more than 850 cities before determining the top 10.

Carmel, Ind., nabbed the second spot on the list of the best places to live in America. The city, which just over 20 miles north of Indianapolis, ranked well due to its “high desirability, value and job market scores,” according to U.S. News.

The state of Texas had three cities make the top 10, including Pearland, which ranked No. 3.  Both Pearland and League City, which ranked #6, are outside of Houston.

As for why these suburbs dominate the top 10 list, New American Funding Senior Loan Officer Jennifer Rader, who has lived in Pearland for almost 20 years, said that cities like hers are “close enough, yet far away enough from the major places you’d want to see and visit.”

Pearland is “a great place to live due to its great neighborhoods, close proximity to Houston and Galveston and the convenience of having everything you need in one community,” Rader said.

That idea of having big city convenience close by without the hectic nature of big city living helped each of these places earn a spot on the list.

The top 10 best places to live in 2025:

1. Johns Creek, Ga. 
2. Carmel, Ind.
3. Pearland, Texas
4. Fishers, Ind.
5. Cary, N.C. 
6. League City, Texas
7. Apex, N.C.
8. Leander, Texas 
9. Rochester Hills, Mich.
10. Troy, Mich.

Jennifer Rader NMLS # 208991