North Carolina is home to two of the country’s best cities to live in, according to U.S. News & World Report’s yearly rankings for 2025-2026.
U.S. News ranked a total of 250 major U.S. cities for quality of life (26%), value (25%), desirability (24%), job market (23%) and net migration (2%). According to this year’s report, 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 the most informed decisions when choosing where to settle down,” with data pulled from Applied Geographic Solutions and internal resources from U.S. News.
Here’s what this year’s report found in North Carolina and the U.S., plus how Asheville ranked compared to other cities.
The top 10 places to live in the U.S. in 2025-2026, according to U.S. News, include two North Carolina cities at No. 5 and 7. The list includes:
The top 10 places to live in North Carolina in 2025-2026, according to U.S. News & World Report, include:
Asheville just missed the top 20 in U.S. News picks for best places to live in North Carolina, placing at No. 21. The city is also ranked No. 488 in overall best places to live in the country and No. 629 among best places to retire.
U.S. News found that the median home value in Asheville is $469,636, higher than the national average of $370,489. The report also found that the city’s job market is worse than the national average, and unemployment is higher than the national average of 4.5%.
The median household income in Asheville, according to U.S. News & World Report, is $70,038, slightly lower than the national median household income of $79,466.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.