Today, I will interview on “Pensacola Speaks” WalletHub analyst and spokesperson Jill Gonzalez on their ranking of the city of Pensacola as the 52nd Best Small City in America–and #1 in Florida. The Villages came in second in Florida at 56.
To find the best small cities in America, WalletHub’s analysts compared 1,268 cities–cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000– across four key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Economic Health, 3) Education & Health and 4) Quality of Life.
They compiled 22 relevant metrics. To obtain the final rankings, WalletHub attributed a score between 0 and 100 to each metric. Then they calculated the weighted sum of the scores and used the overall result to rank the cities. Together, the points attributed to the four major dimensions add up to 100 points.
Affordability – Total Points: 25
Housing Costs ((median annual household income divided by median house price) plus (median annual household income divided by median price of rent): Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
Cost of Living: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
Homeownership Rate: Full Weight (~8.33 Points)
The Top Five Cities for Affordability
Granger, IN 1
Allen Park, MI 2
Southlake, TX 3
Garden City, MI 4
North Fort Myers, FL 5
Pensacola Affordability Ranking: 601
Economic Health – Total Points: 25
Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~5 Points)
Median Household Income: Full Weight (~5 Points)
Percentage of Residents below Poverty Level: Full Weight (~5 Points)
Population Growth: Full Weight (~5 Points)
Income Growth: Full Weight (~5 Points)
The Top Five Cities for Economic Health
Princeton, NJ 1
Ashburn, VA 2
Westfield, IN 3
Eastvale, CA 4
The Villages, FL 5
Pensacola Economic Health Ranking: 767
Education & Health – Total Points: 25
School-System Quality (WalletHub’s “Best & Worst School Systems†Ranking): Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
Percentage of Residents with a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
Percentage of Population with Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
Number of Pediatricians per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~6.25 Points)
The Top Five Cities for Education & Health
Lexington, MA 1
Milton, MA 2
Westfield, NJ 3
Northampton, MA 4
Somerville, MA 5
Pensacola Education & Health Ranking: 510
The highest ranked Florida city in this category was The Villages @ 189
Quality of Life – Total Points: 25
Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Percentage of Residents Who Walk to Work: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Mean Hours Worked per Week: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Number of Restaurants per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Number of Bars per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Number of Coffee Shops per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Number of Museums per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Number of Fitness Centers per 100,000 Residents: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Percentage of Millennial Newcomers: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
Crime Rate: Full Weight (~2.5 Points)
The Top Five Cities for Quality of Life
Fredericksburg, VA 1
Monterey, CA 45.88 2
Charlottesville, VA 3
Ithaca, NY 4
Myrtle Beach, SC 5
Pensacola Quality of Life Ranking: 8
The highest ranked Florida city in this category was Sarasota @ 6
Source: Data used to create these rankings were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Areavibes, Yelp and WalletHub Research.
