Entrepreneurs look for a thriving economy, good infrastructure, networking opportunities, accessible transportation and a supportive business environment. In this ranking, we prioritized economic factors, low commute times and low taxes. We also assigned lower weights to our Housing and Amenities categories, presuming these individuals would be focused on professional growth more than their home lives. We’ve also introduced a new variable to this ranking – projected population change from 2023 to 2028 – to capture future community changes that may impact businesses and their owners.
This is one of six rankings designed to help people find the best city for them based on their stage of life. When people are considering relocating to a new city, there are many factors worth considering. It’s a highly personal decision, but a ranking with the livability of a city at the centre can help provide some guidance.
We’ve collected data from 439 cities across the country, each with a population exceeding 10,000. Our evaluation involved an analysis of 43 variables, which span 10 categories that we’ve identified as particularly crucial when an individual contemplates relocating to a new area. These categories are Economy, Housing, Demographics, Health Care, Safety, Education, Community, Amenities, Transportation and Climate.
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Our methodology
When people are considering relocating to a new city, there are many factors worth considering. It’s a highly personal decision, but a ranking with the livability of a city at the centre can help provide some guidance.
We’ve collected data from 439 cities across the country, each with a population exceeding 10,000. Our evaluation involved an analysis of 43 variables, which span 10 categories that we’ve identified as particularly crucial when an individual contemplates relocating to a new area. These categories are Economy, Housing, Demographics, Health Care, Safety, Education, Community, Amenities, Transportation and Climate.
For each variable, the data underwent rescaling to generate scores ranging from 0 to 1, based on each city’s ranking position. For example, Vancouver was the second-most walkable community and received a high score of 0.998, whereas Thunder Bay ranked 186 and received a lower score of 0.578.