Compare Locations
Part of understanding the livability of your location, or prospective location, is understanding how that location compares with other livable communities across the nation. Use our Location Comparison tool to examine the difference between up to three (3) different locations, comparing Livability Categories and the metrics and policies that go into defining them.
Total Index Score
Metrics
Housing accessibility
Zero-step entrances
Percentage of housing units with zero-step entry: measured at the metro area scale, higher values are better. Read more about Housing.
of units
Median US neighborhood: 43.6%
Housing options
Availability of multi-family housing
Percentage of housing units that are not single-family, detached homes: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Housing.
of units are multi-family
Median US neighborhood: 17.8%
Housing affordability
Housing costs
Monthly housing costs: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Monthly costs are capped at $4,000. Read more about Housing.
per month
Median US neighborhood: $989
Housing affordability
Housing cost burden
Percentage of income devoted to monthly housing costs: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Read more about Housing.
of income spent on housing
Median US neighborhood: 17.9%
Housing affordability
Availability of subsidized housing
Number of subsidized housing units per 10,000 people: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Housing.
units per 10,000 people
Median US neighborhood: 0
Policies
Housing accessibility
State and local inclusive design laws
State and local laws that make housing accessible for people of all abilities
Median US neighborhood:
Housing affordability
State and local housing trust funds
State and local funds that support the development and preservation of affordable housing
Median US neighborhood:
Housing options
State manufactured housing protections
State laws guaranteeing notice and/or first right of purchase to residents of manufactured housing communities prior to sale
Median US neighborhood:
Housing affordability
State foreclosure prevention and protection
State policies and programs that protect homeowners from losing their homes to foreclosure
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
Metrics
Proximity to destinations
Access to grocery stores and farmers’ markets
Number of grocery stores and farmers’ markets within a half-mile: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
stores and markets
Median US neighborhood: 0.0
Proximity to destinations
Access to parks
Number of parks within a half-mile: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
parks
Median US neighborhood: 0.0
Proximity to destinations
Access to libraries
Number of libraries located within a half-mile: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
libraries
Median US neighborhood: 0.0
Proximity to destinations
Access to jobs by transit
Number of jobs accessible within a 45-minute transit commute: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
jobs
Median US neighborhood: 0
Proximity to destinations
Access to jobs by auto
Number of jobs accessible within a 45-minute automobile commute: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
jobs
Median US neighborhood: 32,699
Mixed-use neighborhoods
Diversity of destinations
Mix of jobs within a mile: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
index from 0 to 1
Median US neighborhood: 0.70
Compact neighborhoods
Activity density
Combined number of jobs and people per square mile: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
jobs and people per sq. mi.
Median US neighborhood: 3,020
Personal safety
Crime rate
Combined violent and property crimes per 10,000 people: measured at the county scale, lower values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
crimes per 10,000 people
Median US neighborhood: 261
Neighborhood quality
Vacancy rate
Percentage of vacant housing units: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Read more about Neighborhood.
of units are vacant
Median US neighborhood: 8.8%
Policies
Mixed-use neighborhoods
State and local TOD programs
State and local programs that support transit-oriented development
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
Metrics
Convenient transportation options
Frequency of local transit service
Total number of buses and trains per hour in both directions for all stops within a quarter-mile: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Transportation.
buses and trains per hour
Median US neighborhood: 0
Accessible system design
ADA-accessible stations and vehicles
Percentage of transit stations and vehicles that are ADA-accessible: measured at the metro area scale, higher values are better. Read more about Transportation.
of stations and vehicles are accessible
Median US neighborhood: 87.6%
Convenient transportation options
Walk trips
Estimated walk trips per household per day: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Transportation.
trips per household per day
Median US neighborhood: 0.73
Convenient transportation options
Congestion
Estimated total hours that the average commuter spends in traffic each year: measured at the metro area scale, lower values are better. The largest 101 urbanized areas have comparable data across years, though indicated as incomparable. Read more about Transportation.
hours per person per year
Median US neighborhood: 25.4
Transportation costs
Household transportation costs
Estimated household transportation costs: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Read more about Transportation.
per year
Median US neighborhood: $13,086
Safe streets
Speed limits
Average speed limit (MPH) on streets and highways: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Read more about Transportation.
miles per hour
Median US neighborhood: 28.0
Safe streets
Crash rate
Annual average number of fatal crashes per 100,000 people: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Read more about Transportation.
fatal crashes per 100,000 people per year
Median US neighborhood: 6.8
Policies
Safe streets
State and local Complete Streets policies
State and local Complete Streets policies
Median US neighborhood:
Convenient transportation options
State human services transportation coordination
State human services transportation coordination councils
Median US neighborhood:
Convenient transportation options
State volunteer driver policies
State policies that remove barriers to volunteer driver programs
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
Metrics
Water quality
Drinking water quality
Percentage of the population getting water from public water systems with at least one health-based violation during the past year: measured at the county scale, lower values are better. Read more about the Environment.
of people are exposed to violations
Median US neighborhood: 1.10%
Air quality
Regional air quality
Number of days per year when regional air quality is unhealthy for sensitive populations: measured at the county scale, lower values are better. Read more about the Environment.
unhealthy air quality days per year
Median US neighborhood: 5.7
Air quality
Near-roadway pollution
Percentage of the population living within 200 meters of a high-traffic road where more than 25,000 vehicles pass per day: measured at the neighborhood scale, lower values are better. Read more about the Environment.
of people are exposed
Median US neighborhood: 0.00%
Air quality
Local industrial pollution
Toxicity of airborne chemicals released from nearby industrial facilities: measured at the neighborhood scale from 0 to 311,000, lower values are better. Values shown are for display purposes and may appear in source data at different scales from year to year though metric change is calculated on re-scaled data for comparability. Read more about the Environment.
index from 0 to 311,000
Median US neighborhood: 0.00
Policies
Resilience
State utility disconnection policies
State date-based policies prohibiting disconnection of utility service
Median US neighborhood:
Resilience
Local multi-hazard mitigation plans
Approved local multi-hazard mitigation plans
Median US neighborhood:
Energy efficiency
State energy efficiency scorecard
State policies that support energy-efficient buildings, facilities, and appliances.
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
Metrics
Healthy behaviors
Smoking prevalence
Estimated smoking rate: measured at the county scale, lower values are better. Read more about Health.
of people smoke regularly
Median US neighborhood: 20.5%
Healthy behaviors
Obesity prevalence
Estimated obesity rate: measured at the county scale, lower values are better. Read more about Health.
of people are obese
Median US neighborhood: 28.9%
Healthy behaviors
Access to exercise opportunities
Percentage of people who live within a half-mile of parks and within 1 mile of recreational facilities (3 miles for rural areas): measured at the county scale, higher values are better. Read more about Health.
of people have access
Median US neighborhood: 90.7%
Access to health care
Health care professional shortage areas
Severity of clinician shortage: measured at the health professional shortage area scale from 0 to 25, lower values are better. Read more about Health.
index from 0 to 25
Median US neighborhood: 0
Quality of health care
Preventable hospitalization rate
Number of hospital admissions for conditions that could be effectively treated through outpatient care per 1,000 patients: measured at the hospital service area scale, lower values are better. Read more about Health.
preventable hospitalizations per 1,000 patients
Median US neighborhood: 48.5
Quality of health care
Patient satisfaction
Percentage of patients who give area hospitals a rating of 9 or 10, with 10 indicating the highest level of satisfaction: measured at the hospital service area scale, higher values are better. Read more about Health.
of patients are satisfied
Median US neighborhood: 71.3%
Policies
Healthy behaviors
State and Local Smoke-Free Laws
State laws that prohibit smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and bars
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
Metrics
Internet access
Broadband cost and speed
Percentage of residents who have access to three or more wireline Internet service providers, and two or more providers that offer maximum download speeds of 50 megabits per second: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Engagement.
of residents have high-speed, low-cost service
Median US neighborhood: 14.6%
Civic engagement
Opportunity for civic involvement
Number of civic, social, religious, political, and business organizations per 10,000 people: measured at the county scale, higher values are better. Read more about Engagement.
organizations per 10,000 people
Median US neighborhood: 7.0
Civic engagement
Voting rate
Percentage of people ages 18 years or older who voted in the last presidential election: measured at the county scale, higher values are better. Voting rates are bounded at 30% and 85%. Read more about Engagement.
of people voted
Median US neighborhood: 55.6%
Social engagement
Social involvement index
Extent to which residents eat dinner with household members, see or hear from friends and family, talk with neighbors, and do favors for neighbors: measured at the metro area scale from 0 to 2, higher values are better. Read more about Engagement.
index from 0 to 2
Median US neighborhood: 0.98
Social engagement
Cultural, arts, and entertainment institutions
Number of performing arts companies, museums, concert venues, sports stadiums, and movie theaters per 10,000 people: measured at the neighborhood scale, higher values are better. Read more about Engagement.
institutions per 10,000 people
Median US neighborhood: 0.1
Policies
Internet Access
State barriers to community broadband
Absence of state policies that prevent cities from operating public broadband networks. Read more on Engagement.
Median US neighborhood:
Civic engagement
Early, absentee, or mail-in state voting laws
State laws allowing early, no-excuse absentee, or mail-in voting. Read more on Engagement.
Median US neighborhood:
Equal rights
Local human rights commissions
Local human rights commissions. Read more on Engagement.
Median US neighborhood:
Equal rights
Local LGBT anti-discrimination laws
Total score of 75 or greater from the Human Rights Campaign Municipal Equality Index. Read more on Engagement.
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
Metrics
Equal opportunity
Income inequality
Gini coefficient (the gap between rich and poor): measured at the county scale from 0 to 1, lower values are better. Read more about Opportunity.
index from 0 to 1
Median US neighborhood: 0.46
Economic opportunity
Jobs per worker
Number of jobs per person in the workforce: measured at the metro area scale, higher values are better. Jobs are capped at 1.0 job per person. Read more about Opportunity.
jobs per person
Median US neighborhood: 0.77
Educational Opportunity
High school graduation rate
Adjusted 4-year high school cohort graduation rate: measured at the school district scale, higher values are better. Read more about Opportunity.
of students graduate
Median US neighborhood: 87.0%
Multi-generational communities
Age diversity
Age-group diversity of local population compared to the national population: measured at the neighborhood scale from 0 to 1, higher values are better. Read more about Opportunity.
index from 0 to 1
Median US neighborhood: 0.86
Policies
Local fiscal health
Local government creditworthiness
Local government AAA general obligation bond rating. Read more on Opportunity.
Median US neighborhood:
Economic opportunity
State minimum wage increase
State minimum wage is higher than the federal minimum wage and is adjusted for increases in the cost of living
Median US neighborhood:
Equal opportunity
State expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act
State policies that expand upon the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide additional leave benefits to workers
Median US neighborhood:
Comprehensive livability commitment
State and local plans to create age-friendly communities
Communities that have taken comprehensive steps to prepare for the aging of the U.S. population
Median US neighborhood:
