Looking to escape city life? These 10 suburbs offer the perfect blend of city accessibility, affordability, and a slower pace.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of home buyers are moving to the country’s most booming metropolitan areas. For those who don’t want to deal with the traffic and expense of big city living, there are the suburbs. These smaller cities and towns offer proximity to everything their larger neighbors have to offer, while oftentimes being safer, more affordable, and less crowded.
For those looking to move to a suburb—whether from out of the area or from the cities they border—we put together this ranking of the 10 best suburbs in America. We based our criteria on important factors including cost of living, education, and amenities. To rank these suburbs, we relied on data measuring how safe, affordable, and livable they are. Before we talk a bit about each suburb, let’s look at how we decided which were the best.
Our Methodology
We looked at the top 25 most populous cities in the country, then determined the three largest suburbs of each city for a total of 75 suburbs. Then, we ranked each suburb across the following criteria:
- Amenities (shopping, dining, entertainment)
- Cost of living (percent above or below national average)
- Crime (percent above or below national average)
- Education (student-to-teacher ratio compared to national average)
- Employment (income and unemployment compared to national average)
Once we had that information—from sources including the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics—we were able to see how each city ranked in the individual criteria (between 1 to 75, with 1 being best) and also on average to give them an overall score. Here are the results.
1. Westerville, OH
A town of just over 40,000, Westerville—a suburb of Columbus, OH—is one of the safest of the 75 places we surveyed for this ranking. Its crime rate of 1,897 per 100,000, put it at 26 percent below the national average (it’s 49 percent below the rest of Ohio).
The town also scored well in terms of available amenities, education (with one teacher for every 19 students), and median household income (at over $86,000 it’s significantly higher than the $48,000 Ohio median). The cost of living in Westerville is also reasonable at just 3 percent above the national average.
2. Plano, TX
As our best suburb in Texas—there are four in the top 10—Plano is also the largest city on our ranking at just over 288,000 residents. Despite that (much) larger population, the violent crime rate in this suburb of Dallas is 139 per 100,000, placing it 64 percent below the national average and well below the rest of Texas (411 per 100,000 residents).
One of Texas’s most affluent cities, Plano has a high median household income of $92,000. Its cost of living is also higher than the national average, but homes are relatively affordable with a median home price of approximately $345,000.
3. Georgetown, TX
This Austin, TX suburb is home to 47,400 Texans who enjoy its low crime rate and low cost of living. In terms of the former, there are 1,746 crimes there annually per 100,000 people, which is 45 percent below the national average (and 42 percent below the Texas average). For the latter, the cost of living there is 8.8 percent lower than the national average and only .4 percent higher than the average for the state.
The secret’s out about Georgetown. This Austin, TX, city is one of the fastest growing suburbs in America. In 2010, it was home to 47,400 Texans. By 2019, that number exploded to 79,600 who have flocked to this town to enjoy its low crime rate and low cost of living. In terms of the former, the crime rate is 58 percent below the national average. For the latter, the cost of living there is on par with the national average and the median home price is $323,000.
Education in Georgetown is also highly rated, with a student to teacher ratio of 15-to-1, which is slightly better than the national ratio of 16-to-1.
4. Round Rock, TX
The second Austin suburb in our top 10 is another fast-growing city and home to Dell computers. The over 133,000-resident-strong Round Rock boasts a crime rate that is 19 percent lower than the national average. At $80,637, the median household income in Round Rock is higher than the national average of $61,937. The median home price is an affordable $302,180.
Residents love the opportunities for outdoor activities thanks to its many award-winning parks and nature preserves, and its rich history as a post-Civil War cattle-driving town. It also has a very highly regarded school system.
5. Cedar Park, TX
Texas’s representation on our list wraps up with yet another Austin suburb and another one of America’s fastest-growing cities. With a crime rate 48 percent lower than the national average, Cedar Park’s almost 80,000 residents can rest assured that they’re in a safe city.
They also enjoy good classroom sizes with a 16-to-1 student-teacher ratio and low unemployment compared to the national average. The cost of living in the city is not quite as low as its other Texan counterparts on the list, but is still lower than the national average. Its median household income is a whopping $101,845, way above the national average and the rest of Texas, but they still enjoy relatively affordable housing with a median home price of approximately $340,000.
6. Matthews, NC
The first of two North Carolina suburbs on our top 10, Matthews isn’t quite as safe as the cities we’ve talked about thus far. Its property crime rate is 31 percent above the national average, but its violent crime rate is 47 percent lower.
Thankfully for its residents this quaint, charming town just 25 minutes outside of Charlotte did better in other areas. One of them is the cost of living, where it is 3 percent below the national average. Median household income is also quite high at $78,900 while median home prices are relatively low at around $304,000.
7. Cornelius, NC
With a little over 30,000 residents, the second of Charlotte suburbs to earn a spot on our top 10 is much lower than the national average in terms of crime; both property and violent crime are over 50 percent lower than the rest of the US.
Cornelius’s cost of living is on par with the rest of America, but its median household income is a lot higher at around $88,000. This charming town is a destination for city folks thanks to its location alongside Lake Norman and beautiful parks.
8. Newton, MA
One of the safest suburbs on our list with a crime rate that is 70 percent lower than the nation and a violent crime rate that is a whopping 83 percent lower.
However, that safety does come with a price. While not nearly as exorbitant as Cupertino, the cost of living in Newton is 84 percent higher than the national average, which makes it second only to Cupertino on our list in terms of expense. A median household income of $139,696 helps alleviate the burden. And while the median home price is over $1 million, it boasts a highly rated public school system and the best student-teacher ratio in our top 10 at 12-to-1.
9. Germantown, TN
Just making the top 10 US suburbs, Memphis, TN, has 39,161 residents and is comparable with Newton as the safest with a violent crime rate 80 percent lower than the national average. While its property crime rate is higher than Newton, it’s still 30 percent below the rest of the nation.
Germantown’s cost of living is 9 percent higher than the national average—but its median household income is almost double the rest of the country at just over $116,000. With great schools, a rich history, and beautiful parks, Germantown is a great suburb to call home.
10. Cupertino, CA
Home to Apple, Cupertino, CA, is the only Northern California city—a suburb of San Jose—to appear in our top 10. This city of just over 59,000 people can best be described as affluent, and residing there comes at a premium—its cost of living is 144 percent above the national average. However, it’s one of the safest cities in our top 10 with a violent crime rate that’s 69 percent below the national average.
Cupertino’s residents have serious earning power. At over $163,000, the median household income there is more than double the national average. But they need every cent. With a median home value of (hold on to your hats) over $2.2 million, living there isn’t cheap. It was that high cost of living and its poor student-to-teacher ratio (23-to-1) that put this technology mecca in 10th place.
