Running a city is always difficult business, but the past three years have presented local governments with a set of unique challenges. Some have weathered the storm much better than others.
WalletHub recently compared 150 of the most populated cities based on five key categories to determine the best and worst-run cities in America. You can find a list of the worst here. To keep things positive, we’re focusing on the best.
For the rankings, WalletHub's researchers considered financial stability, education, health, safety, the economy, and infrastructure/pollution. Nationally, Nampa, Idaho and Boisie, Idaho took the top spots followed by Fort Wayne, Indiana.
These were the best-run cities in California according to WalletHub:
- Huntington Beach (#21 nationally)
- San Diego (#59 nationally)
- Santa Ana (#62 nationally)
- Fremont (#76 nationally)
- Bakersfield (#91 nationally)
Below are further highlights from the report:
- Among the best-ranking cities, Huntington Beach is in first place for quality of city services
- San Jose has the lowest infant mortality rate, followed by San Francisco, Huntington Beach, Anaheim and Santa Ana
- Fremont has the fifth-lowest crime rate and the lowest percentage of the population in poverty
- The top five cities with the lowest road quality are all in California: Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, San Jose, Oakland, Fremont and San Francisco
- The top four cities with the worst air pollution are also in California: Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Riverside
See full list and methodology here.
List and data were compiled by WalletHub and do not reflect statistics on all cities.