OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Two Oakland County communities recently ranked among the top 10 best places to live in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 850 cities in the U.S. to see how they meet living expectations, using several factors, including the job market, quality of life, desirability, and public safety, to select the top 250.
Two Oakland County cities, Rochester Hills and Troy, earned spots among the top 10.
Here’s what U.S. News analysts said about these neighboring cities:
No. 9: Rochester Hills
Rochester Hills ranked No. 9 out of 250 on the list.
Here’s some data from U.S. News & World Report for the city:
- Population: 75,425
- Median Home Value: $377,213
- Median Household Income: $116,432
Rochester Hills outperformed in quality of life factors. It also ranked as the No. 22 city for college readiness and is the No. 5 safest city in the rankings, according to U.S. News’ crime index.
“Residents can feel comfortable spending their evenings dining out in the city’s lively downtown district or shopping at the Village of Rochester Hills, a popular outdoor shopping destination,” said U.S. News analysts.
No. 10: Troy
Troy ranked No. 10 on the list.
Here’s some data from U.S. News & World Report for the city:
- Population: 87,452
- Median Home Value: $385,318
- Median Household Income: $118,274
Troy ranked high in the quality of life, safety and college readiness factors. The city also ranked for its school district, which has some of the top-rated public schools in the country, according to U.S. News.
Analysts also noted Troy’s position as the No. 5 best city in the job market category, and also pointed to how residents from across Metro Detroit visit Troy for the Somerset Collection mall.
“Troy has held strong to its reputation as one of the best places to live, work, learn, play, and raise a family because of our excellent quality of life which is a result of hard work, planning, sacrifice, and strong leadership,” said Troy Mayor Ethan Baker. “Now the entire country will know what we have known all along. We are so very proud of this recognition from U.S. News & World Report. Troy will continue to be an involved community planning for the future and welcome everyone to come find out just what makes Troy one of the best!”
Top 25 best places to live
Here are the other places that ranked among the top 25 best places to live:
- Johns Creek, Georgia
- Carmel, Indiana
- Pearland, Texas
- Fishers, Indiana
- Cary, North Carolina
- League City, Texas
- Apex, North Carolina
- Leander, Texas
- Rochester Hills, Michigan
- Troy, Michigan
- Sammamish, Washington
- Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
- Elliott City, Maryland
- Flower Mound, Texas
- Pflugerville, Texas
- Sugar Land, Texas
- Plymouth, Minnesota
- Ankeny, Iowa
- West Hartford, Connecticut
- McAllen, Texas
- Bethesda, Maryland
- Edmond, Oklahoma
- Cedar Park, Texas
- Alpharetta, Georgia
- Hoover, Alabama
To see all 250 places that ranked on the list, visit here.
How places were selected
U.S. News & World Report released its rankings for the “250 Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2025-2026″ to help show people what they can expect when choosing the next place they call home.
Several factors were used to determine the rankings, including school quality, housing affordability and public safety.
Analysts asked 3,000 people across the country what mattered most to them when determining where to live, and this year’s survey showed that people prioritized quality of life, value, desirability, job market and net migration. The data is weighted based on what people think is most important.
For more information on how the cities were ranked, visit here.