(Photo: Boisepremier.com)
Managing a city can not be easy. There is comprise, debate and discussion…it has to be tough negotiating how tax money gets divided up and trying to figure out how to add sidewalks, city parks and bike trails. Some cities are better than others when it comes to running a city. Maybe some people in certain regions just get along better. How is it that some places get things accomplished and have better resources for it’s citizens? Could it be that more people are paying taxes so some cities have a bigger pool of money to divide up? Researchers from WalletHub took a look at 150 different cities in the United States and analyzed budgets and services each city provided. And here it is, a list of the Top 20 Best Run Cities…
The following is from: WalletHub: Best-Run Cities in America
WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best-Run Cities in America.
To identify the cities that are managed well by their leaders, WalletHub’s analysts compared 150 of the largest U.S. cities across six key dimensions, including financial stability, education, health, safety, economy as well as infrastructure and pollution. We then combined these categories to construct an “Overall City Services” ranking against which we measured the cities’ total per-capita budgets in order to reveal their budgeting efficiency.
Top 20 Best-Run Cities in America
1 Boise, ID
2 Nampa, ID
3 Provo, UT
4 Missoula, MT
5 Fort Wayne, IN
6 Lexington, KY
7 Billings, MT
8 Bismarck, ND
9 Sioux Falls, SD
10 Nashua, NH
11 Oklahoma City, OK
12 Las Cruces, NM
13 Lewiston, ME
14 Huntington Beach, CA
15 Albuquerque, NM
16 Fargo, ND
17 Lincoln, NE
18 Aurora, IL
19 Raleigh, NC
20 Charleston, SCBest vs. Worst
Casper, Wyo., the city with the lowest long-term debt outstanding per capita, $700, which is more than 28 times lower than in Atlanta, the city with the highest, $19,902.
Frederick, Md., has the highest high-school graduation rate, 93 percent, which is two times higher than in Denver, the city with the lowest, 56 percent.
San Francisco has the lowest number of infant (less than 1 year old) deaths per 1,000 live births, 2.53, which is nearly five times lower than in Richmond, Va., the city with the highest, 12.34.
Warwick, R.I., the city with the lowest number of violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 1.02, which is nearly 20 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 19.89.
Fargo, N.D., the city with the lowest unemployment rate, 2.18 percent, which is nearly six times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest, 12.38 percent.
Chesapeake, Va., has the highest average annual household income (adjusted for cost of living), $71,245, which is three times higher than in Hartford, Conn., the city with the lowest, $23,564.
Fremont, Calif., the city with the lowest percentage of residents below the poverty line, 6.3 percent, which is seven times lower than in Flint, Mich., the city with the highest, 41.6 percent.
Little Rock, Ark., has the lowest share of pavements in poor condition, 2 percent, which is 37 times lower than in San Francisco, Calif., the city with the highest, 74 percent.
Fairbanks, Alaska, has the shortest average commute time, 13 minutes, which is three times shorter than in New York, the city with the longest, 39.40 minutes.
Billings, Mont., the city with the lowest median air-quality index (measures air pollution), 27, which is nearly four times lower than in Riverside, Calif., the city with the highest, 97.
For the full report visit: Source: WalletHub
