A New England metro ranked as the No. 1 most livable in the U.S. It’s not Boston.

Metro Boston ranked third for quality of life, No. 70 for location and community, and No. 115 for socioeconomics, according to RentCafe.

A view of Newbury street and Commonwealth Ave. featuring the Charles River and downtown Boston. David L. Ryan / The Boston Globe

By Sury Chakraborty

November 11, 2024

1 minute to read

Portland, Maine, ranked No. 1 on the list of most livable U.S. metros in 2024, and metro Boston came in 17th, according to a recent RentCafe report.

The apartment search website analyzed 139 metropolitan areas across 17 key metrics of livability, including cost of living, share of severe housing problems, unemployment rate, income inequality ratio, and several others, according to the report’s methodology.

“To determine the most livable metropolitan area, the RentCafe.com analytics team used a composite index to compare metros across three main categories: socioeconomics, quality of life, and location and community,” according to the report.

While Portland, Maine, ranked No. 1 overall, the area ranked fifth in terms of quality of life, fifth for location and community, and 11th for socioeconomics. The report highlighted Portland’s higher education opportunities, steady income growth, fresh food sources, diverse healthcare providers, and sports facilities.

“It’s no wonder, then, that the metro area is this year’s reigning champion when it comes to livability,” the report said.

Portland, Maine, is the only New England metro to crack the top 10. Boston, Manchester, N.H., and Providence, R.I., are the other New England metropolitan areas that made it to the top 20.

Here’s how New England metros fared on the RentCafe ranking:

Metro	Final Rank	Socioeconomics Rank	Quality of Life Rank	Location and Community Rank
Portland, Maine	1	11	5	5
Manchester, N.H.	11	20	15	38
Boston, Mass.	17	115	3	70
Providence	19	83	8	58

Credit – RentCafe

And here’s the complete top 20 list:

Metro	Final Rank	Socioeconomics Rank	Quality of Life Rank	Location and Community Rank
Portland, Maine	1	11	5	5
Lincoln, Neb.	2	16	20	2
Des Moines	3	12	37	1
Minneapolis	4	15	14	20
Ann Arbor, Mich.	5	113	2	17
Milwaukee	6	52	4	28
Washington, D.C.	7	73	4	26
Pittsburgh	8	63	33	3
Green Bay, Wis.	9	4	32	14
Harrisburg, Pa.	10	30	39	4
Manchester, N.H.	11	20	15	38
Madison, Wis.	12	14	35	18
Albany, N.Y.	13	64	24	24
Colorado Springs	14	46	19	31
Omaha	15	7	44	13
Indianapolis	16	6	50	12
Boston, Mass.	17	115	3	70
San Francisco	18	121	1	94
Providence	19	83	8	58
Seattle	20	61	10	66