Livability.com this week released its annual Top 100 Best Places to Live list, which recognizes the best small and mid-sized communities across the U.S., and Charleston was once again included in the ranking. This list, now in its 13th year of publication, allows users to customize the set of places based on their individualized priorities, from health and cost of living to entertainment and the local job market.
Out of more than 2,000 cities analyzed, Charleston earned its spot through exceptional performance across eight key categories, particularly in the environment, amenities and economy categories. Additionally, Charleston had the highest overall LivScore of any South Carolina city featured on this year's list.
"Our 'Top 100' is an annual data-driven collection of what we consider to be the best small to mid-size cities," said Amanda Ellis, Livability.com Editor-in-Chief. "As Americans face consistently evolving work dynamics and a desire for the best quality of life possible amidst inflation and uncertainty, our list celebrates places where people can more realistically build families, launch businesses and lead meaningful lives."
The complete 2026 Top 100 Best Places to Live list is available now at Livability.com.