Census ACS
County-level demographic, income, housing, commute, vacancy, and owner-occupied housing measures from the American Community Survey.
Data sources
Public datasets behind the county rankings
Best Counties to Live uses public and widely referenced datasets to create county-level comparison scores. The rankings are estimates, built for discovery and comparison rather than final relocation advice.
BLS
Local Area Unemployment Statistics used for county unemployment and labor-market context.
BEA
County economic growth and personal income measures used in the Economy Score where available.
Zillow
County-level home value estimates used to improve affordability and home-price-to-income measures.
FBI reported crime data
Reported crime data used for Safety Score estimates. Missing or incomplete reporting is not treated as zero crime.
SEDA education data
Stanford Education Data Archive achievement data used as a national baseline for Schools Score estimates.
Tax burden data
Property tax estimates and state/local tax burden inputs used to compare tax pressure across counties.
HUD and built-environment indicators
Public housing, assisted housing, density, and built-environment proxy inputs used for Peace & Quiet estimates.
Methodology notes
Scores avoid religion, race, ethnicity, and protected-class variables. Some categories are estimates and will continue to improve as more official datasets are integrated and validated.
Read scoring methodology