News Release

CARMEL — The city of Carmel has once again been ranked the best place to live in America. According to a recently released survey by WalletHub, Carmel is the #1 Best Small City in America based on measures such as affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life and safety. Nearby Westfield and Fishers earned the #4 and #5 spots.

“We are happy to hear the results of this survey, which is based on data from a variety of sources,” said Mayor Jim Brainard. “We also know that people have choices about where they want to live as our high-tech economy has made it possible to live in one city while working in another. We work hard on our quality of life focused on the arts and entertainment to attract those highly coveted employees. Our strategy is working.”

According to this nationwide study, WalletHub reports that one-third of all Americans, 31%, say they would prefer to live in the suburbs, compared to 16% for urban areas and 24% for rural communities. Life in smaller cities can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few of its advantages.

No two small cities are made equal, so WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 45 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs to school-system quality to restaurants and bike rental facilities per capita.