Many factors that make the biggest cities in the United States great places to visit—good weather, world-class museums, and quality restaurants—also make them great cities to live in. Resonance, a consultancy group in real estate, tourism, and economic development, considered these factors as well as user-generated data from social media to create a comprehensive ranking of the best cities in the United States for travelers and residents.
“Cities that top our 2025 rankings are not just reacting—they’re leading,” Resonance President and CEO Chris Fair says in the report. “They’re reshoring advanced manufacturing, doubling down on R&D ecosystems, investing in multimodal connectivity, and creating magnetic cultural districts that attract talent and visitors alike. Think Pittsburgh’s robotics corridor, Miami’s health tech ascent, or Nashville’s surge in creative class in-migration.”
How the cities are ranked
To determine which cities would be considered for this list, Resonance looked at U.S. cities with populations of more than 500,000 through the lens of three pillars: Livability, Lovability, and Prosperity. Each city was ranked based on quantitative data in categories such as heat stress (the average number of days a year that residents are exposed to extreme heat, or more than 90 degrees) and museums (the number of museums in a city rated above four stars on TripAdvisor).
Each city’s ranking was also influenced by qualitative information from survey data. Resonance partnered with market and opinion research company Ipsos to collect perception-based data on these topics, surveying 2,003 adults with these questions:
Livability: Thinking about places across the United States, including small towns and large cities, what are the top three towns or cities you would most like to live in someday?
Lovability: Thinking about places across the United States, including small towns and large cities, what are the top three towns or cities you would most like to visit in the next 12 to 24 months?
Prosperity: Thinking about places across the United States, including small towns and large cities, what three towns or cities do you believe currently offer the best job opportunities?
This combination of survey data and core statistics came together for a city’s Place Power Score, which was then used to rank each place. These are the best cities in the United States to live in and visit in 2025, according to Resonance.
New York’s endlessly fascinating neighborhoods, including Queens, are constantly transforming themselves.
Photo by Dolly Faibyshev
1. New York City
Highlighted rankings: Livability (1), Lovability (1), Prosperity (1)
Why we love it: New York City has (once again) taken the top spot in Resonance’s annual rankings. Make no mistake: Being at the top is no easy feat. But the Big Apple has proved its staying power with new reasons for visitors to return. Next year, the iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art will break ground on its $500 million modern-wing renovation, and events such as the 2026 FIFA championship will entice people to the city.
Getting to NYC’s neighborhoods is about to get a whole lot better thanks to airport renovations. John F. Kennedy International Airport is currently undergoing a $19 billion facelift, and Terminal 1 is set to debut its first 14 gates in 2026. When completed (estimated in 2030), the terminal will have 23 gates and more than 300,000 square feet dedicated to retail and dining. The area’s other airports, Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, have also undergone renovations in the past couple of years.
Plenty is going on in the luxury scene, too. Last year brought the launch of Warren Street Hotel and the relaunch of The Surrey, while the legendary Waldorf Astoria New York is set to open in the fall. Plus, Parisian retailer Printemps debuted its 55,000-square-foot flagship store inside One Wall Street, an art deco skyscraper that was converted from offices to residences, earlier in 2025.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to New York.
The Hollywood sign turned 100 in 2023, but the city’s rank is as much about L.A.'s new openings and future events as its storied history.
Photo by Maks Urshov/Shutterstock
2. Los Angeles, California
Highlighted rankings: Livability (6), Lovability (2), Prosperity (2)
Why we love it: While Hollywood’s prowess is the most commonly associated aspect of Los Angeles, the sports scene will be one to watch in the coming years. Sofi Stadium will be the first venue to host the FIFA World Cup (2026), Super Bowl (2027), and Olympic and Paralympic Games (2028).
Beyond the field, cultural developments include last year’s opening of Destination Crenshaw, the largest public art project devoted to Black artists in the country (helping the city earn a spot on Afar’s Where to Go in 2024 list.) L.A.’s Natural History Museum also opened its 75,000-square-foot wing and community hub in 2024. Massive infrastructure improvements are well underway for the city, with one of the biggest being Brightline West: The 218-mile, all-electric train aims to bring travelers between Los Angeles and Las Vegas in two hours and is expected to run by 2028.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Los Angeles.
Millennium Park is just one of Chicago’s many scenic outdoor spaces.
Photo by Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock
3. Chicago, Illinois
Highlighted rankings: Livability (3), Lovability (4), Prosperity (4)
Why we love it: There’s plenty to celebrate in Chicago. Its legendary skyline has introduced CitizenM’s 280-room tower and Jeanne Gang’s 101-story St. Regis (also making history as the tallest building in the world designed by a woman). On the ground, summer comes into full swing with world-class festivals—including Lollapalooza and the free Millennium Park Summer Music Series—and 160 breweries.
The city’s dining scene has only gotten more popular thanks to the FX series The Bear. Noteworthy restaurants include Venteux, a French brasserie from Michelin-starred chef Donald Young, and Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar under chef José Andrés.
“Chicago sees itself, [since the Great Fire], as a city able to withstand whatever,” Shermann Dilla Thomas, a historian and lifelong resident who offers guided Chicago tours, told Afar. “It also makes us a city that doesn’t believe in small plans. After you get a blank canvas, the sky’s the limit.”
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Chicago.
Afar’s original hometown, San Francisco is one of our favorite cities for obvious reasons.
Photo by Sand Crain/Unsplash
4. San Francisco, California
Highlighted rankings: Livability (2), Lovability (7), Prosperity (3)
Why we love it: San Francisco has long drawn people and companies alike—Afar included—to the West Coast. Thanks to the Bay Area’s world-renowned universities like Stanford and UC Berkeley, San Francisco has one of the most educated and prosperous populations. While the city’s lack of affordable housing cannot be ignored, initiatives such as the Breaking the Cycle plan to address homelessness and a Family Zoning Plan to add up to 36,000 new homes by 2031 bring some optimism.
“Despite the panicky (and even warranted) headlines, San Francisco is experiencing a renaissance fueled by AI innovation and bold urban reinvention,” Resonance points out in its report. “After weathering pandemic‑era commercial vacancies that peaked at a staggering 36.6 percent in early 2024 (and held essentially flat at 36.5 percent in Q1 2025), the city’s recovery is gaining momentum through adaptive strategies now transforming its downtown core.”
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to San Francisco.
The rooftop bar at the Thompson Seattle delivers some of the best views of Elliott Bay.
Thompson Seattle
5. Seattle, Washington
Highlighted rankings: Livability (4), Lovability (9), Prosperity (12)
Why we love it: Off in the farthest corner of the Pacific Northwest, the pine-scented idyll of Seattle is one of the country’s best-kept secrets, with a high quality of life that comes from continued investment from big tech and (literally) greener pastures.
Over the past year, downtown saw almost 90 new ground‑floor businesses added, as well as the opening of spots like the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion and Overlook Walk. Its balance of nature and city makes it a big draw for tastemakers and creatives in various fields—many of whom spoke to Afar for its Great American Cities feature on Seattle.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Seattle.
The beachside location of Miami is hard to resist.
Photo by pisaphotography/Shutterstock
6. Miami, Florida
Highlighted rankings: Livability (5), Lovability (5), Prosperity (14)
Why we love it: Miami has historically been a meeting point for the Americas, making it a no-brainer that it ranked high on the list. But in this city, diversity goes beyond nationality; the city’s allure for the LGBTQ community and ex–Silicon Valley techies gives it a sense of welcome that many people are embracing.
In 2023, Brightline launched its 235-mile train from the city to Orlando, but reasons to keep an eye on this city go beyond ease of transportation. Construction began on a new Waldorf Astoria Hotel (set to open in 2028), and Aman Miami Beach will debut later this year. The oceanfront Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne’s first full-scale redevelopment since its 2001 opening will finish by the end of the year, comprising upgrades including a reimagined lobby, spa upgrades, and a restructured culinary program.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Miami.
Historical landmarks draw millions of tourists to Boston each year.
Photo by f11photo/Shutterstock
7. Boston, Massachusetts
Highlighted rankings: Livability (7), Lovability (11), Prosperity (9)
Why we love it: Boston is home to 75 institutions of higher learning—including Harvard and MIT—giving it the top spot in the university category. But it’s not only students who come to Boston. The oldest large city in the United States draws millions of tourists each year to see historical landmarks along the Freedom Trail, including the USS Constitution and the King’s Chapel. Visit in 2026, when the country will celebrate its 250th anniversary.
The old city is getting some upgrades, including a 5,000-room increase by 2030 across hotels such as the 2023-opened Raffles Boston. Lyrik Back Bay, built over the Massachusetts Turnpike, is a $1.1 billion mixed-use development that opened last year. The property has more than 35,000 square feet of dedicated retail and dining space as well as citizenM’s largest hotel.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Boston.
In addition to its famous monuments, Washington, D.C.’s neighborhoods have become another major tourism draw for the capital.
Photo by Orhan Cam/Shutterstock
8. Washington, D.C.
Highlighted rankings: Livability (10), Lovability (13), Prosperity (8)
Why we love it: Unsurprisingly, the nation’s capital scores well for its many free museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and other Smithsonian institutions like the National Air and Space Museum. In 2025, the Smithsonian will be breaking ground on the Bezos Learning Center, a $130 million education center that’s been funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
In addition to all of its exhibitions are many neighborhoods worth exploring—Brookland, NoMa, Shaw, and the LGBTQ-friendly Logan Circle, to name a few—as well as newer developments like the $3 billion Wharf project. Despite Capitol Hill rumblings, people are still excited to visit: Destination DC announced 27 million visitors in 2024 and $11.4 billion in visitor spend, a record for the city.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Washington, D.C.
The Sphere is the world’s largest spherical structure.
Photo by ByDroneVideos/Shutterstock
9. Las Vegas
Highlighted rankings: Livability (20), Lovability (3), Prosperity (26)
Why we love it: Vegas was ranked the third-most lovable city in America, so perhaps it’s not surprising it was visited by 41.7 million people in 2024.
Visitors are poised for more options for accommodation and entertainment than ever before, including the anticipated 2027 opening of the 700‑foot Hard Rock Guitar tower where the Mirage once stood. The 33,000‑seat Oakland A’s ballpark just broke ground on the Strip, and Elon Musk’s Vegas plan to connect the airport, the Strip, downtown, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, via underground Tesla transport has approvals.
Oh yeah, and then there’s the Sphere.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to Las Vegas.
It’s (almost) always sunny in San Diego, California.
Cory Bjork/Unsplash
10. San Diego, California
Highlighted rankings: Livability (9), Lovability (6), Prosperity (23)
Why we love it: The Southern California city trailed behind only Honolulu in Resonance’s Nature & Parks subcategory ranking, in part thanks to its 70 miles of coastline. The 2024 World Design Capital is also planning some city attractions, including breaking ground on the West Wing within the exhibition Foster + Partners: Architecture of Light and Space at the San Diego Museum of Art.
“Southern California’s urban ideal still promises 263 days of sunshine, but in 2025, San Diego’s lure is increasingly economic,” Resonance notes in its 2025 report. Local startups attracted $5.8 billion last year (a 45 percent year-over-year increase), and the city is projected to earn $15.3 billion in spending, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Some of the estimated 32.9 million visitors coming in 2025 (also exceeding pre-pandemic records) will see a revamped San Diego International Airport. Its Terminal 1 is unveiling 19 updated gates this summer, part of a $4 billion renovation of the flight hub.
Plan your next trip with Afar’s Guide to San Diego.
To see the full list of the 100 best cities in the United States, visit Worldsbestcities.com.
This article was originally published in 2020 and was updated in June 2025 to reflect new rankings.
