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U.S. Cities & Communities 2026

Publisher Richard K. Miller & Associates
Published Jul 01, 2025
Length 276 Pages
SKU # RKM20165705

Description

U.S. Cities & Communities 2026 presents dozens of surveys analyzing consumerrelated characteristics of U.S. cities. Participation in activities including dining out, music concerts, spectator sports, and travel is assessed on a city-by-city basis. This business reference identifies the best cities to live and retire, the best managed cities, the best public school systems, the best educated cities, and more. Demographics and economic profiles are provided for all 387 metropolitan and 538 micropolitan areas. Statistics on leisure activities and population health are also provided for each metro.

U.S. Cities & Communities 2026 is a valuable resource for socio-demographic and economic research, business strategic planning, and site selection.

Table of Contents

276 Pages
PART I: POPULATION & ECONOMICS
1 METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS
1.1 Overview
1.2 MSA Populations
2 METROPOLITAN ECONOMIC PROFILES
2.1 Overview
2.2 Income Tiers And Net Gain/Loss
2.3 Analyses
3 MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS
3.1 Overview
3.2 ìSA Populations
4 POPULATION MIGRATION
4.1 Top Cities For Net Move-Ins
4.2 Where Baby Boomers Are Moving
4.3 Where Generation X Is Moving
4.4 Where Millennials Are Moving
4.5 Where Generation Z Is Moving
4.6 Market Resources
PART II: SECTORS
5 HEALTH
5.1 Overview
5.2 Metropolitan Assessment
6 MEDIA
6.1 Radio
6.2 Television
7 RESTAURANTS
7.1 Overview
7.2 Restaurant Sales, Unit Counts, and Sales Per Unit
8 SPORTS
8.1 Best Sports Cities
8.2 Top Minor League Markets
9 TRAVEL & TOURISM
9.1 Overview
9.2 Travel and Tourism Statistics
PART III: ACTIVITIES
10 CASINOS
10.1 Casino Visits
11 DINING OUT
11.1 Restaurant Visits
11.2 Full-Service Restaurant Visits
11.3 Quick-Service Restaurant Visits
12 GARDENING
12.1 Adults Who Garden
13 MUSIC CONCERTS
13.1 Concert Attendance
14 SPECTATOR SPORTS
14.1 Avid Sports Fans City-by-City
14.2 Spectator Sports Attendance
14.3 Fan Ranking By Sport
15 TRAVEL
15.1 Overview
15.2 Business Trips
14.3 Business Air Travel
14.4 International Air Travel
15.5 Hotel Stays
15.6 Rental Car Use
15.7 Ocean Cruises
PART IV: COMMUNITIES
16 ALL-AMERICAN CITIES
16.1 Overview
16.2 Recent Award Winners
16.3 All-Time Award Winners
17 GREAT PLACES
17.1 Overview
17.2 Great Neighborhoods
17.3 Great Public Spaces
17.4 Great Streets
18 HISTORIC COMMUNITIES
18.1 Historic Communities
18.2 Historic Preservation and Downtown Revitalization
19 MUNICIPAL EQUALITY
19.1 Municipal Equality Index
19.2 Market Resources
20 RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES
20.1 Overview
20.2 Ranking
21 SMALL TOWNS
21.1 Best Small Towns To Visit
21.2 Towns With Architectural Significance
21.3 Coolest Small Towns
21.4 Friendliest Small Towns
21.5 Most Beautiful Small Towns
21.6 Small Towns For Leisure Activities
21.7 Readers Choice Awards
21.8 Market Resources
22 SMART CITIES
22.1 Overview
22.2 Award Recipients
23 STAR-RATED COMMUNITIES
23.1 Overview
23.2 Certified Star Communities
24 POPULATION CENTERS OF U.S. AFFLUENCE
24.1 Most Affluent ZIP Codes
24.2 Most Expensive ZIP Codes
24.3 Millionaire Households
PART V: BEST CITIES
25 ARTS & CULTURE
25.1 Most Arts-Vibrant Communities
25.2 Best Small Arts Towns
25.3 Best Cities For Culture
25.4 Street Art
25.5 Best Cities For Aspiring Artists
26 BEST PLACES TO LIVE
26.1 Best Places To Live
26.2 Assessments
27 BEST PLACES TO RETIRE
27.1 Best Places To Retire
27.2 Assessments
28 BEST FOR FAMILIES
28.1 Best Places To Raise A Family
28.2 Best Pubic School Systems
29 BEST FOOD CITIES
29.1 Best Food Cities
29.2 Assessments
30 BEST CITIES FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
30.1 Best Cities For An Active Lifestyle
30.2 Best Cities For Outdoor Activities
31 BEST FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
31.1 Best Neighborhoods For Young Professionals
32 BEST NEIGHBORHOODS
32.1 Best Neighborhoods To Live
32.2 Coolest Neighborhoods
32.3 Most Affordable Neighborhoods
32.4 Best Neighborhoods To Visit
33 BEST-MANAGED CITIES
33.1 Best-Managed Cities
34 CREATIVE CITIES
34.1 Most Creative Cities
34.2 UNESCO Creative Cities
34.3 Best Cities In The U.S. For Creatives
35 DOG-FRIENDLY CITIES
35.1 Overview
35.2 Ranking
36 FASTEST-GROWING CITIES
36.1 Fastest-Growing Large Metros
36.2 Fastest Growing Among All Cities and Towns
36.3 Metros Most Primed for Development
37 GREENEST CITIES
37.1 Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle
38 HEALTHIEST CITIES
38.1 Healthiest Cities To Live
39 LOWEST COST OF LIVING
39.1 Overview
39.2 Metropolitan Area Ranking
39.3 Small Town Ranking
40 MOST BEAUTIFUL CITIES
40.1 Most Beautiful Cities
40.2 Most Beautiful Towns
41 MOST DIVERSE CITIES
41.1 Overall Diversity
41.2 Ethnic Diversity
42 MOST EDUCATED CITIES
42.1 Most Educated Major Cities
42.2 Most Educated Metros
42.3 Graduate Degrees
43 MOST FUN CITIES
43.1 Best Cities For Having Fun
43.2 Entertainment and Recreation
43.3 Nightlife and Parties
44 NEIGHBORLY CITIES
44.1 Overview
44.2 Most Neighborly Cities
45 NIGHTLIFE
45.1 Top Cities For Nightlife
45.2 Bars & Nightclubs
46 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
46.1 Most Physically Active Cities
47 QUALITY OF LIFE
47.1 Best Places To Live For Quality Of Life
47.2 Most Peaceful Places to Live
48 SAFEST CITIES
48.1 Safest Cities
48.2 Home And Community Safety
48.2 Natural Disasters
49 SINGLES RATIOS
49.1 Overview
49.2 Ratios In Metropolitan Areas
50 TOP RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE MARKETS
50.1 Realtor.com Assessment
50.2 ResiClub Assessment
50.3 Zillow Assessment
51 TOURISM
51.1 Favorite Cities For Tourists
52 WALKING & BIKING
52.1 Top Walking Cities
52.2 Best Cities For Biking
APPENDIX A - ANALYSTS & RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS
APPENDIX B - ASSOCIATIONS
APPENDIX C - GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
APPENDIX D - ONLINE RESOURCES
REFERENCES

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