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MoveScore

500 cities · Updated Apr 2026

Should You Move
to This City?

MoveScore grades 500 US cities on six federal data streams, crime, water, air, schools, fiscal health, and hospital quality, then rolls them into one composite A-F livability grade.

Popular:Rochester, MN · 92Delaware, OH · 87Provo, UT · 83Aurora, IL · 82Rogers, AR · 82
500
Cities
51
States
6
Federal Sources
66
Avg MoveScore

Browse Rankings

Best Overall Cities

Highest MoveScore composite — safest overall balance of all six livability dimensions.

Best for Safety

Lowest crime rates per FBI UCR — best for families sensitive to violent and property crime.

Best for Water Quality

Cleanest drinking water per EPA SDWIS — fewest violations, highest safety scores.

Best for Air Quality

Cleanest air per EPA AQS — lowest median AQI and fewest unhealthy days.

Best for Public Schools

Strongest public school performance per NCES/EDFacts — highest average proficiency.

Best Fiscal Health

Strongest municipal fiscal health per Census ASPEP — sustainable per-capita spending.

Best for Hospital Care

Highest-rated hospitals per CMS HCAHPS — best patient experience scores.

Top MoveScore Cities

See full ranking →
A

Rochester, MN

MoveScore 92 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Delaware, OH

MoveScore 87 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Provo, UT

MoveScore 83 (A) — 4/6 sources

A

Aurora, IL

MoveScore 82 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Rogers, AR

MoveScore 82 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Cincinnati, OH

MoveScore 81 (A) — 4/6 sources

A

Grand Island, NE

MoveScore 81 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Missoula, MT

MoveScore 81 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Olathe, KS

MoveScore 81 (A) — 3/6 sources

A

Fayetteville, AR

MoveScore 80 (A) — 4/6 sources

A

Green Bay, WI

MoveScore 80 (A) — 4/6 sources

A

Madison, WI

MoveScore 80 (A) — 4/6 sources

Grade Distribution

A
15
cities
B
96
cities
C
139
cities
D
50
cities
F
20
cities

Browse by State

Alabama

7 cities · avg MoveScore 60

Alaska

1 cities · avg MoveScore 71

Arizona

15 cities · avg MoveScore 64

Arkansas

7 cities · avg MoveScore 74

California

78 cities · avg MoveScore 62

Colorado

18 cities · avg MoveScore 67

Connecticut

6 cities · avg MoveScore 66

District of Columbia

1 cities · avg MoveScore 48

Florida

35 cities · avg MoveScore 65

Georgia

11 cities · avg MoveScore 65

Hawaii

1 cities · avg MoveScore 71

Idaho

8 cities · avg MoveScore 70

Illinois

17 cities · avg MoveScore 62

Indiana

11 cities · avg MoveScore 70

Iowa

9 cities · avg MoveScore 60

Kansas

6 cities · avg MoveScore 75

Kentucky

4 cities · avg MoveScore 71

Louisiana

6 cities · avg MoveScore 61

Maryland

4 cities · avg MoveScore 64

Massachusetts

7 cities · avg MoveScore 61

Michigan

8 cities · avg MoveScore 66

Minnesota

10 cities · avg MoveScore 84

Mississippi

3 cities · avg MoveScore 59

Missouri

9 cities · avg MoveScore 69

Montana

3 cities · avg MoveScore 77

Nebraska

6 cities · avg MoveScore 76

Nevada

7 cities · avg MoveScore 70

New Hampshire

2 cities · avg MoveScore 47

New Jersey

12 cities · avg MoveScore 53

New Mexico

3 cities · avg MoveScore 65

New York

7 cities · avg MoveScore 59

North Carolina

15 cities · avg MoveScore 71

North Dakota

4 cities · avg MoveScore 67

Ohio

17 cities · avg MoveScore 67

Oklahoma

8 cities · avg MoveScore 69

Oregon

9 cities · avg MoveScore 71

Pennsylvania

11 cities · avg MoveScore 63

Rhode Island

2 cities · avg MoveScore 57

South Carolina

9 cities · avg MoveScore 70

South Dakota

5 cities · avg MoveScore 73

Tennessee

7 cities · avg MoveScore 67

Texas

40 cities · avg MoveScore 66

Utah

7 cities · avg MoveScore 69

Virginia

11 cities · avg MoveScore 64

Washington

13 cities · avg MoveScore 66

West Virginia

2 cities · avg MoveScore 51

Wisconsin

10 cities · avg MoveScore 75

Wyoming

2 cities · avg MoveScore 59

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MoveScore?

MoveScore is a composite livability grade for 500 US cities, combining six independent federal data streams — FBI UCR crime, EPA SDWIS water safety, EPA AQS air quality, NCES and EDFacts school performance, Census ASPEP municipal fiscal health, and CMS HCAHPS hospital quality — into a single 0-100 score and A-F grade.

How is the MoveScore composite calculated?

Each of the six sub-scores is normalized to 0-100, then averaged with equal weight. Missing sub-scores are skipped from the average (they do not penalize a city). A composite is only shown when at least three of the six sub-scores are available. See the methodology page for the full formula.

Where does the underlying data come from?

All data is from U.S. federal government sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System, EPA Air Quality System, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments, Census Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances, and CMS Hospital Compare / HCAHPS patient experience surveys.

Why only 500 cities?

A city is included only if three or more of the six federal data streams have a matching record for it. Smaller cities and towns often have no hospital of their own or no independent school district, which would make any composite misleading.

How often is the data updated?

Each source is refreshed on its own federal release schedule. Crime data is updated annually, water and air quality data quarterly, school data annually, fiscal data annually with a 2-year reporting lag, and hospital ratings twice a year.

Can I compare two cities directly?

Every city detail page shows all six sub-scores side by side, so you can compare by reading each city page. A dedicated /compare route is on the roadmap.