Not a single city in a sought-after deep-blue West Coast state ranked among the top best 100 places to live in the United States.
Earlier this week, US News & World Report released its 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings, showcasing the top 250 major cities in America based on factors such as value, desirability, job market and quality of life.
In a surprising twist, California was absent from the results, despite its reputation for being one of the most desirable and expensive places to settle down.
While the top three most expensive living cities in the nation – Newport Beach, Westminster and Daly City – are all located in the Golden State, the latest rankings suggest the high cost doesn’t necessarily equate to being considered the best places to live.
Folsom, located in Sacramento City, was the highest-ranked California city, but still came in at a modest 119 on the list.
With more than 400 cities in California, only three broke into the top 200: Palo Alto at 148, Cupertino at 151 and San Ramon at 180.
In the nationally renowned publication’s 2025-2026 Best Big Cities to Live list, the trend held true for California, which only continued to be overlooked – San Diego was the highest-ranked, coming in at No. 15.
San Francisco, the first Bay Area city to make the list, came in at No. 20, followed closely behind by San Jose at No. 24.
US News & World Report released its 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings showcasing the top 250 major cities, and not a single city in California ranked among the top best 100 places to live in the United States (pictured: Downtown Los Angeles)
Folsom, located in Sacramento City, was the highest-ranked California city (pictured: historic street in Folsom)
Although Folsom was the highest-ranked California city on the list, it still came in at a modest 119 (pictured: aerial of a neighborhood in Folsom)
If the so-called land of dreams and influence isn’t even considered among the best places to live, then where exactly is the ideal place to call home?
According to US News, the answer lies in Georgia, in a charming town called Johns Creek.
With a population of nearly 79,000, Johns Creek is the 10th largest city in Georgia, boasting nationally-ranked schools, consistently high safety ratings and strong cultural diversity, according to the website.
Johns Creek top ranking was determined by analyzing 859 of the most populated cities in the country, considering factors such as job market, value, quality of life and desirability.
The four main criteria were selected through a February 2025 public survey, in which people from across the country identified what they believed was the most important factor in making a decision on where to reside.
The Quality of Life category is weighed at 26 percent and includes factors that contribute to overall well-being, though they don’t always affect a resident’s day-to-day life.
Some of the factors analyzed included quality of education, quality and availability of health care, air quality index, environmental risk, state economy and state infrastructure.
The Value Index category is weighed at 25 percent and measures how comfortably each resident can afford to live within their means – ultimately measured by the median annual household income with the housing cost in each city, along with a regional Cost of Living index.
With more than 400 cities in California, only three broke into the top 200 – Palo Alto being the first, ranking at No. 148 (pictured: view of Stanford University in Palo Alto)
Cupertino, California, ranked at No. 151 on this year’s list (pictured: aerial view of single family residential neighborhood in Cupertino)
San Ramon, California, ranked at No. 180 on the list, suggesting that the high cost doesn’t necessarily equate to being considered the best places to live (pictured: homes on cul-de-sac streets in the hills of San Ramon)
In Johns Creek, the median home value is $528,234 compared to the national average of $370,489. The national median household income, however, is $163,653 – much higher compared to the national median household income of $79,466.
The city’s job market also significantly outperforms the national average, with an unemployment rate of 2.84 percent compared to the country’s 4.5 percent.
The Desirability category is weighed at 24 percent and measures factors that contribute to residents’ happiness, focusing on elements that directly impact their day-to-day living.
Some of these factors include crime rates, weather conditions, the city’s access to cultural, leisure, retail and dining, as well as average commute times.
In Johns Creek, the average commute time is 25.99 minutes – more than the national average.
However, in a place with plentiful job opportunities, the Southern city offers a wealth of shopping, dining and recreational options, all while maintaining a sparse, suburban feel.
The Job Market category is weighed at 23 percent, while the remaining two percent is allocated to the Net Migration category, which measures whether people are moving to or away from each city.
Although the Georgia city was crowned the winner for the 2025-2026 season, three Texas cities made it to the top 10 – Pearland at No. 3, League City at No. 2 and Leander at No. 8.
Earlier this year, it was predicted that the deeply conservative state was on track to become America’s most populous, particularly as disgruntled liberals continue to flee the Golden State.
Texas is expected to claim the top spot by 2045 – according to data published by Realtor.com in February – as its population soars from 31 million to a projected 42 million.
California residents have cited its high cost of living and poor quality of life as factors in driving them away, and from 2019 to 2022 the population continually plummeted.
The best place to live in America for the 2025-2026 season lies in Georgia, in a charming town called Johns Creek, which was ranked as the number one city (pictured: Johns Creek)
Johns Creek top ranking was determined by analyzing 859 of the most populated cities in the country, considering factors such as job market, value, quality of life and desirability (pictured: park in Johns Creek)
In a place with plentiful job opportunities, the Southern city offers a wealth of shopping, dining and recreational options, all while maintaining a sparse, suburban feel (pictured: community event in Johns Creek)
The Golden State’s population rose slightly – 0.17 percent – in 2023. If it remains on the same growth trajectory, the state won’t reach pre-pandemic levels until 2032.
While California has struggled to bounce back from the pandemic, Texas has seen a boom in residents flocking to cities such as Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.
In March, it was revealed that Fremont, California, was crowned the ‘happiest place’ to live in America based on its financial stability, high life satisfaction and healthy living conditions, according to WalletHub.
Despite being known for its nationally recognized public schools and gorgeous parks, some residents have a major gripe about Fremont – boredom.
Analysts expressed that an ‘ideal city’ has living conditions that ‘foster good mental and physical health’, including reasonable work hours, short commutes, good weather and caring neighbors.
Yet not everyone was thrilled with Fremont’s title, suggesting that despite the recognition, it may still not be the ideal place to live – and it didn’t even make it onto the US News & World Reports list this year.
Also featured in the top 10 best places to live is Carmel, Indiana; Fisgers, Indiana; Cary, North Carolina; Apex, North Carolina; Rochester Hills, Michigan; and Troy, Michigan.
For the full US News & World Report ranking, you can visit their website.
