These Pacific Northwest cities rank high for quality of life, study says

To celebrate National Park and Recreation Month in July, LawnStarter ranked 2024’s best cities for quality of life -- with some cities in the Pacific Northwest ranking high on the list.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – To celebrate National Park and Recreation Month in July, LawnStarter ranked 2024’s best U.S. cities for quality of life -- with some cities in the Pacific Northwest ranking high on the list.

LawnStarter compared 500 of the largest cities in the United States based on 16 categories, including life expectancy, unemployment rates, workers’ rights, and food security.

Among the top five spots on the list? Two cities in Washington.

Scoring number one overall for offering the highest quality of life, is Redmond, Washington. Bellevue, Washington also ranked high on the list, nabbing the number four spot for best quality of life.

Although the two cities in Washington received high marks, LawnStarter noted they struggle with low percentages of sunshine, which impacts vitamin D levels and depression rates.

Seattle also scored high on the list at number 15.

Out of the 500 cities analyzed, Portland, Oregon ranked 90th – scoring high marks for air and water quality.

Hillsboro, Oregon was not far behind, ranking 93, with top marks for environment, along with air and water quality.

Beaverton scored 114, followed by Vancouver, Washington at 188, Salem at 236, and Gresham at 323.

Newton, Mass., Woodbury, Minn., Pleasanton, Calif., and Carmel, Ind. also ranked among the top 10 cities for best quality of life.

Flint, Mich., Detroit, Mich., Pharr, Tex., Pasadena, Tex., and Brownsville, Tex., ranked among the top five cities offering the lowest quality of life.