INDIANAPOLIS — Three central Indiana cities have made the list of the “Best Small Cities in America”.
Carmel, Zionsville and Westfield each placed in the top ten of the study from WalletHub that included more than 1,300 cities throughout the country.
While Lancaster, Pennsylvania ranked as the best small city in the United States, central Indiana tallied spots No. 2, No. 7 and No. 10.
Cities with populations between 25,000 to 100,00 qualified.
Cities were graded in five areas: affordability, economic health, education & health, quality of life, and safety.
Carmel ranked as the second-best small city. Among the more than 1,300 cities, Carmel ranked in the top 40 cities in affordability, economic health and safety.
Zionsville was ranked as the seventh best small city in the U.S. While Zionsville only ranked in the top 100 small cities in one key area, the mark was very high.
The Boone County city ranked No. 3 in the country is affordability. They were topped only by Wildwood, Missouri and Madison, Mississippi in affordability.
Zionsville was the highest-ranked Indiana city for education, ranking 177th.
Westfield rounded out the top ten.
Westfield thrived in grading for affordability and safety. They ranked in the top 41 spots in both.
In total, 34 Indiana cities were listed.
Plainfield, Fishers and Noblesville each also placed in the 90th percentile or better among cities in the U.S.
Gary was the lowest ranked city in Indiana, ranking 20th worst. Elkhart, Terre Haute, East Chicago, Hammond, Michigan City and Anderson all ranked in the 10th percentile or worse.
Besemer, Alabama was ranked the worst small city in the country.
-
Indy nonprofit highlights suicide prevention, recovery month with free programs
Recovery Café Indy is offering special programming throughout the month to support individuals impacted by substance use, mental health challenges, incarceration and other life struggles.Drew Brees returns to Purdue for the school's 25-year Rose Bowl reunion
Drew Brees returned to Purdue's campus Saturday to celebrate his greatest college feat, and, as with the team he led 25 years ago, he had plenty of friends giving an assist.Clergy unite in Indianapolis to support communities in crisis
National civil rights leader Bishop William Barber joins Indiana clergy to confront poverty, injustice and strengthen support for struggling communities.Avon and Brownsburg face off in rivalry game of the year
Brownsburg defeated Avon 55‑47 in their showdown, but for both sides, the game was about more than just the final score — it was about community, pride and tradition.