Wichita, 2 other Kansas spots named among 100 best US cities to live in this year

If you’re thinking of moving to Wichita, this may be the best year to do so.

That’s because the city was just named one of Livability’s top 100 best U.S. cities to live in 2025.

Livability, which bills itself as an “online resource for potential relocators,” gave Wichita the livability score of 662. This score is calculated by reviewing amenities, economy, education, environment, health, housing, cost of living, safety and transportation. The highest score a city can get is 1,000.

“Wichita, KS, is a fantastic place for recent college grads, young professionals and growing families to put down roots and level up their careers — all these things coupled with enjoying fun-filled weekends with friends and neighbors in this tight-knit community,” the ranking reads.

The city Livability gave the highest score to was Flower Mound, Texas, which is about 30 minutes outside of Dallas.

Livability partnered with Applied Geographic Solutions to select the 100 best cities. All of the cities the website looked at were small to mid-size, ranging in population from 75,000 to 500,000.

“To us, that’s the sweet spot in size for getting plugged in, finding your people and feeling at home fast,” Livability’s article read.

Two other Kansas cities made the list: Overland Park and Olathe. Some Midwest cities included Lincoln, Neb., St. Louis, Cincinnatti, Ohio, Madison, Wis., and more.

The ranking calls Wichita “a big-hearted, plains-proud city,” citing things like affordability, location, entertainment and jobs as reasons why it ranks high in the best places to live.

Here are some quick facts about Wichita, from the U.S. Census Bureau:

• Population: 396,119
• Number of households: 157,646
• Median household income: $63,072
• Mean travel time to work: 18.9 minutes

In January, finance company GoBankingRanks named Wichita the seventh most affordable place to retire, citing home prices, transportation and grocery costs.

Unfortunately, the affordable cost of living and retirement might not be enough for some, especially those who struggle with allergies. That’s because Wichita has also been named the worst city for allergies for three years in a row.

The top 10 best places to live in the U.S.

Here are the 10 U.S. cities that got the highest Livability ranking in 2025:

1. Flower Mount, Texas (Score: 875)
2. Carmel, Ind. (Score: 872)
3. Sugar Land, Texas (Score: 854)
4. Naperville, Ill. (Score: 841)
5. Roswell, Ga. (Score: 838)
6. Overland Park, Kan. (Score: 831)
7. Troy, Mich. (Score: 829)
8. Columbia, Md. (Score: 828)
9. Olathe, Kan. (Score: 799)
10. Round Rock, Texas (Score: 793)

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.