From Staff Reports

WASHINGTON, D.C — Asheville ranked No. 648 nationally in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report “Best Places to Live” list, released on May 19. 

In statewide and regional breakdowns, it was ranked No. 24 in Best Places to Live in North Carolina and No. 629 among the Best Places to Retire.

U.S. News found that the median home value in Asheville is $459,972, significantly higher than the national average of $359,870. 

However, the report also found that the city’s job market is better than the national average, and unemployment rate (3.1 percent) is lower than the national average rate of 4.5 percemt.

What’s more, the median household income in Asheville, according to U.S. News & World Report, is $70,970, lower than the national median household income of $83,181.

In summary, following are specific caregory rankings for Asheville:

•  Quality of life: Recognized for its high quality of life, scoring strong marks across the metrics.

• Job market: U.S. News noted that Asheville’s job market performs better than the national average, alongside lower unemployment rates.

• Cost of living: High local costs remain a challenge, with the median home value in the city recorded at $359,870.

Several North Carolina cities are ranked among the 250 “Best Places to Live” in 2026-2027, according to a report from U.S. News & World Report, the Asheville Citizen Times reported on June 1.              

Meanwhile, Western North Carolina’s second largest city after Asheville (which has a population estimated at 94,000 to 98,000 residents) is Hendersonville, which was excluded from the U.S. News & World Report liveability rankings because the methodology only evaluates the most populous metropolitan areas (the 125 to 150 largest metro areas nationwide). 

Because Hendersonville’s population (an estimated at 17,700 residents) falls well below the inclusion threshold, it is evaluated by U.S. News on a regional or state level, rather than as its own stand-alone metropolitan statistical area.

U.S. News ranked a total of 250 major U.S. cities for quality of life (27 percent), value index (28 percent), desirability (24 percent) and job market (21 percent).

 According to the 2026-2027 report from May 19, the methodology used to assign rankings is “determined by Americans’ preferences,” as determined by a survey.

The yearly best places to live rankings are intended to “help readers make informed decisions when choosing where to settle down,” with data pulled from Applied Geographic Solutions and internal resources from U.S. News.

Unfortunately for residents of the Tar Heel State, the Top 10 list does not include any North Carolina locations, although Cary, a city near the state capital, which was ranked No. 5 among the best places to live for 2025-2026, fell to No. 11, just missing the Top 10.

Following are the Top 10 best places to live in U.S. News & World Report’s 2026-2027 “Best Places to Live” list :

(1) Carmel, Indiana

(2) Fishers, Ind.

(3) Flower Mound, Texas

(4) Ankeny, Iowa

(5) Johns Creek, Georgia

(6) Hoover, Alabama

(7) Rochester Hills, Michigan

(8) Leander, Texas

(9) Frisco, Texas

(10) Sugar Land, Texas

The Top 10 places to live in North Carolina, according to U.S. News & World Report, were also all included among the 250 top places to live countrywide as follows:

(1) Cary - No. 11 countrywide

(2) Apex - No. 20 countrywide

(3) Huntersville - No. 36 countrywide

(4) Mooresville - No. 99 countrywide

(5) Pinehurst - No. 102 countrywide

(6) Concord - No. 132 countrywide

(7) Hickory - No. 171 countrywide

(8) Raleigh - No. 185 countrywide

(9) Chapel Hill - No. 188 countrywide

(10) High Point - No. 213 countrywide