VETERANS

Best & Worst Places for Veterans to Live

Photo of Maxine Johnson Maxine JohnsonDecember 14, 2023
0 0 6 minutes read


According to the Veterans Association, there are over 18.2 million veterans currently living in the U.S. These veterans often face a host of challenges when re-entering civilian life. Despite Uncle Sam’s promises to provide health care as well as housing, employment and educational assistance upon their return from service, some cannot secure healthcare, jobs or shelter.

Fortunately, the unemployment rate for veterans is slightly lower at 3.6%, compared to 3.8% for the overall population. However, veteran homelessness is still a big problem, and there are over 33,000 homeless veterans. Some states offer better conditions for those who have served our country, though.

To help military veterans find the best places in which to settle down, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 19 key indicators of livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness. They range from the share of military skill-related jobs to veteran income growth to the availability of VA health facilities.

Main Findings

Embed on your website


Best Cities for Veterans to Live

Overall Rank

City

Total Score

Employment

Economy

Quality of Life

Health
1 Raleigh, NC 68.91 12 5 13 49
2 Austin, TX 68.58 17 22 7 29
3 Orlando, FL 67.25 35 32 4 38
4 Tampa, FL 67.11 44 45 6 14
5 Virginia Beach, VA 66.66 38 2 9 69
6 Scottsdale, AZ 66.29 45 10 5 57
7 Colorado Springs, CO 66.09 43 16 10 24
8 Gilbert, AZ 65.70 6 11 20 57
9 Laredo, TX 65.15 2 1 70 29
10 Jacksonville, FL 64.70 16 24 30 17
11 Chandler, AZ 64.69 10 28 15 57
12 Irvine, CA 64.63 11 67 28 1
13 St. Petersburg, FL 64.29 19 56 18 17
14 Boise, ID 64.00 9 53 3 85
15 Fort Worth, TX 63.50 26 4 41 29
16 Lincoln, NE 62.41 8 9 33 74
17 Madison, WI 62.38 42 3 19 63
18 Chesapeake, VA 62.33 34 6 23 69
19 San Diego, CA 61.43 77 64 2 40
20 Henderson, NV 61.23 51 15 12 80
21 Miami, FL 60.71 41 60 39 15
22 Pittsburgh, PA 60.33 53 43 25 27
23 Minneapolis, MN 59.92 36 46 26 47
24 Plano, TX 59.70 57 63 17 29
25 Arlington, TX 59.34 4 21 74 29
26 Charlotte, NC 59.29 30 40 38 49
27 Oklahoma City, OK 59.20 3 8 42 84
28 Denver, CO 59.14 60 51 8 64
29 Mesa, AZ 59.02 15 29 45 57
30 San Antonio, TX 59.01 49 14 31 48
31 Dallas, TX 58.69 39 36 53 20
32 Columbus, OH 58.54 28 12 35 77
33 Omaha, NE 58.05 21 7 50 68
34 Lubbock, TX 57.99 1 35 84 29
35 Durham, NC 57.99 7 75 43 43
36 Lexington-Fayette, KY 56.96 59 30 29 54
37 Glendale, AZ 56.62 13 31 64 57
38 Irving, TX 56.38 22 23 78 29
39 Chula Vista, CA 56.26 79 42 57 1
40 Garland, TX 55.81 18 33 80 29
41 Las Vegas, NV 55.46 81 62 1 92
42 Cincinnati, OH 55.22 55 72 36 42
43 Sacramento, CA 55.11 83 85 24 16
44 Anaheim, CA 55.09 37 84 68 1
45 St. Louis, MO 55.05 50 59 55 23
46 Tucson, AZ 54.78 32 38 40 86
47 San Francisco, CA 54.04 58 99 11 39
48 Greensboro, NC 53.88 5 49 87 49
49 Kansas City, MO 53.82 24 54 52 72
50 San Jose, CA 53.81 27 97 46 1
51 Winston-Salem, NC 53.72 14 52 81 49
52 St. Paul, MN 53.67 29 48 47 98
53 Albuquerque, NM 53.58 31 25 56 79
54 Anchorage, AK 53.26 47 27 49 76
55 Aurora, CO 53.07 66 41 67 24
56 Fremont, CA 53.05 48 93 44 1
57 Tulsa, OK 52.72 72 13 71 46
58 Phoenix, AZ 52.05 33 58 37 97
59 El Paso, TX 51.81 68 19 63 65
60 Seattle, WA 51.79 71 82 34 62
61 Buffalo, NY 51.14 99 17 79 13
62 Riverside, CA 51.08 85 57 83 1
63 Louisville, KY 50.64 69 37 48 82
64 Houston, TX 50.38 88 20 69 56
65 Wichita, KS 49.98 25 18 94 67
66 Boston, MA 49.98 40 95 59 22
67 Milwaukee, WI 49.95 73 26 88 44
68 San Bernardino, CA 49.93 20 74 98 1
69 Philadelphia, PA 49.92 46 68 61 66
70 Norfolk, VA 49.54 65 55 58 69
71 Honolulu, HI 49.53 74 94 14 78
72 Corpus Christi, TX 49.31 61 69 76 29
73 North Las Vegas, NV 49.25 63 34 72 80
74 Long Beach, CA 49.20 76 100 54 12
75 Hialeah, FL 49.08 56 78 82 17
76 Nashville, TN 48.91 52 66 51 91
77 Fort Wayne, IN 48.88 23 44 77 93
78 Birmingham, AL 48.86 67 47 65 75
79 Bakersfield, CA 48.81 91 61 90 1
80 Los Angeles, CA 48.40 90 96 32 26
81 Portland, OR 47.85 84 92 22 73
82 Stockton, CA 47.82 75 70 96 1
83 Atlanta, GA 47.78 92 81 16 96
84 Reno, NV 47.77 82 79 27 95
85 New York, NY 47.31 64 88 62 55
86 New Orleans, LA 47.08 89 87 60 41
87 Cleveland, OH 46.86 87 73 92 21
88 Oakland, CA 46.59 62 98 75 1
89 Washington, DC 46.10 93 76 21 99
90 Fresno, CA 45.14 70 86 93 28
91 Santa Ana, CA 44.48 94 90 86 1
92 Baltimore, MD 42.81 80 80 97 45
93 Toledo, OH 42.76 78 50 95 87
94 Baton Rouge, LA 42.73 98 83 66 53
95 Indianapolis, IN 42.59 54 65 91 94
96 Jersey City, NJ 41.50 86 77 85 88
97 Chicago, IL 41.23 96 71 73 90
98 Memphis, TN 39.03 95 39 89 100
99 Newark, NJ 30.63 97 89 100 88
100 Detroit, MI 29.23 100 91 99 83

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that city, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

% of Military Skill-Related Jobs

Highest

  • 1. Toledo, OH
  • 2. Fort Wayne, IN
  • 3. Wichita, KS
  • 4. Lexington-Fayette, KY
  • 5. Greensboro, NC
% of Military Skill-Related Jobs

Lowest

  • 96. Jersey City, NJ
  • 97. Washington, DC
  • 98. San Francisco, CA
  • 99. Miami, FL
  • 100. Irving, TX
Veteran Unemployment Rate

Lowest

  • T-1. Lincoln, NE
  • T-1. Irving, TX
  • T-1. Oklahoma City, OK
  • T-1. Chesapeake, VA
  • T-1. Virginia Beach, VA
Veteran Unemployment Rate

Highest

  • 96. Santa Ana, CA
  • 97. Buffalo, NY
  • T-98. Baton Rouge, LA
  • T-98. Detroit, MI
  • T-98. Newark, NJ
Veteran Income Growth

Highest

  • 1. Atlanta, GA
  • 2. Laredo, TX
  • 3. Miami, FL
  • 4. Hialeah, FL
  • 5. Madison, WI
Veteran Income Growth

Lowest

  • 96. Bakersfield, CA
  • 97. Durham, NC
  • 98. Baton Rouge, LA
  • 99. Corpus Christi, TX
  • 100. Irvine, CA
% of Veterans in Poverty

Lowest

  • 1. Chesapeake, VA
  • 2. Virginia Beach, VA
  • 3. Gilbert, AZ
  • 4. Chula Vista, CA
  • 5. Irving, TX
% of Veterans in Poverty

Highest

  • 96. New Orleans, LA
  • 97. Cincinnati, OH
  • 98. Newark, NJ
  • 99. Cleveland, OH
  • 100. Detroit, MI
Homeless Veterans per Veteran Population

Fewest

  • 1. Raleigh, NC
  • 2. Virginia Beach, VA
  • 3. Jacksonville, FL
  • 4. Buffalo, NY
  • 5. Toledo, OH
Homeless Veterans per Veteran Population

Most

  • 88. San Jose, CA
  • 89. Los Angeles, CA
  • 90. Atlanta, GA
  • T-91. San Francisco, CA
  • T-91. Long Beach, CA
Veteran Population

Highest

  • T-1. Virginia Beach, VA
  • T-1. Chesapeake, VA
  • T-1. Anchorage, AK
  • T-1. Colorado Springs, CO
  • T-1. Norfolk, VA
Veteran Population

Lowest

  • 96. New York, NY
  • 97. Miami, FL
  • 98. Santa Ana, CA
  • 99. Jersey City, NJ
  • 100. Hialeah, FL

Show More

 

Ask the Experts

Transitioning from active military duty to ordinary life can be difficult for many veterans. For advice on overcoming certain issues faced by veterans undergoing this process, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

  1. What are the biggest issues facing veterans today?
  2. What factors (financial and other) should a veteran consider when choosing what city to live in?
  3. How can the government help veterans succeed financially? How can policy and programs help veterans better manage their finances?
  4. How should governments and non-profits help homeless veterans?
  5. How should the VA reform their health care system to better serve the needs of this population? How can a veteran evaluate the quality of their local VA health system?

Methodology

In order to determine the best places for veterans to live, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions: 1) Employment, 2) Economy, 3) Quality of Life and 4) Health.

We evaluated those dimensions using 19 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for veterans. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities. Data for metrics marked with two asterisks (**) were available at state level only.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the “city proper” in each case, excluding surrounding cities in the metro area.

Employment – Total Points: 25

  • Share of Military Skill-Related Jobs: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
  • Veteran Unemployment Rate: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
  • Job Growth: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the average annual rate of job growth between the years 2019 and 2023.
  • Veteran-Owned Businesses per Veteran Population: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)

Economy – Total Points: 25

  • Housing Affordability: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
    Note: This composite metric comprises the following calculations: Median Home Price / Median Annual Veteran’s Income and Median Annual Rent Price / Median Annual Veteran’s Income.
  • Veteran Income Growth: Full Weight (~2.94 Points)
    Note: This metric measures the average annual rate of veteran income growth between the years 2016 and 2021.
  • Share of Veterans Living in Poverty: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)
  • Educational Opportunities: Half Weight (~1.47 Points)
    Note: This metric is based on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges for Veterans” ranking.
  • Median Veteran Income: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)
    Note: This metric was adjusted for the local cost of living.
  • Homeless Veterans per 1,000 Veterans: Double Weight (~5.88 Points)

Quality of Life – Total Points: 25

Health – Total Points: 25

  • VA Benefits Administration Facilities per Veteran Population**: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
    Note: The square root of the veteran population was used to calculate its size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.
  • VA Health Facilities per Veteran Population**: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)
    Note: The square root of the veteran population was used to calculate its size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.
  • Quality of VA Health Facilities: Triple Weight (~15.00 Points)
    Note: This composite metric includes:

    • “Patients’ Willingness to Recommend the Veteran Hospitals” score from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
    • VA hospital performance star rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ “Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning” (SAIL) performance improvement tool
    • VA hospital and nursing-home beds data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ database of inpatient beds by facility

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Council for Community and Economic Research, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. News & World Report, Yelp, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and WalletHub research.

Supporting Video & Audio Files:

Was this article helpful?