Illinois city, 2 St. Louis suburbs named some of the best places to live in US in 2024
A suburb of Chicago and two suburbs of St. Louis were recently ranked among the best places to live in 2024.
The ranking, from Niche, a school, company and neighborhood review site, considered factors such as cost of living, portion of residents with a bachelor’s degree, housing costs, public school quality, diversity, crime and safety, weather, commute times, walkability, employment rates and more.
Naperville, Ill., and St. Louis County’s Brentwood and Chesterfield all made it in the top 25 locations in Niche’s “2024 Best Places to Live in America.” Here’s how the localities compared:
Colonial Village (neighborhood in Arlington, Va.)
Carmel, Ind.
Chesterbrook (suburb of Philadelphia)
Uptown (neighborhood in Tampa, Fla.)
Cinco Ranch (suburb of Houston)
Hyde Park - Spanishtown Creek (neighborhood in Tampa, Fla.)
Evergreen Park (neighborhood in Palo Alto, Calif.)
Radnor/Fort Myer Heights (neighborhood in Arlington, Va.)
Harbour Island (neighborhood in Tampa, Fla.)
College Terrace (neighborhood in Palo Alto, Calif.)
Brookline (suburb of Boston)
Ardmore (suburb of Philadelphia)
Johns Creek (suburb of Atlanta)
North Bethesda (suburb in Maryland)
Okemos (suburb of Lansing, Mich.)
Blue Ash (suburb of Cincinnati)
Brentwood, Mo.
Coppell (suburb of Dallas)
Chesterfield, Mo.
South Lake Union (neighborhood in Seattle)
Innsbrook (suburb of Richmond, Va.)
Audubon Park (neighborhood in Orlando)
Stone Ridge (suburb in Virginia)
Naperville, Ill.
Alpharetta, Ga.
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville has a population of 149,089, according to Niche, and the Chicago suburb got an A+ overall Niche grade, A- for diversity, A- for housing, A+ for public schools and a B for crime and safety.
The suburb is not known for affordability, and has a living wage of $24.16 for one adult with no children, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology living wage calculator. The median household income in Naperville is $143,754, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Attractions there include its riverwalk, historic sites, shopping, DuPage Children’s Museum, Knoch Knolls Nature Center and more.
Brentwood, Missouri
Brentwood has a population of 8,173, according to Niche, and the suburb received an A+ overall Niche grade, B+ for diversity, A for housing, A+ for public schools and a B- for crime and safety.
The suburb is along the bistate MetroLink route, so you can get there from Belleville car-free. Brentwood is also home to the nearest Trader Joe’s to Belleville, though you’ll have to navigate what has been referred to as the “worst parking lot in America” to shop there.
The median household income in Brentwood is $89,688, the Census Bureau reports. MIT’s living wage calculator does not have a number specifically for Brentwood, but St. Louis County’s living wage is listed at $21.48 for one adult with no children.
Chesterfield, Missouri
Chesterfield has a population of 49,645, according to Niche, and the suburb received an A+ overall Niche grade, B+ for diversity, A for housing, A+ for public schools and a B for crime and safety.
The suburb has a lower walk score than Naperville or Brentwood. Attractions there include Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, The Factory, an outlet mall and more.
The median household income in Chesterfield is $137,052, according to the Census Bureau.
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