These are the 'best' places to live in California, study says

An undated photo of the Los Angeles Skyline. (John Hayes/Associated Press)

Posted: May 26, 2023 / 01:26 PM PDT

Updated: May 26, 2023 / 02:24 PM PDT

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Multiple California cities and neighborhoods were ranked among the “best” places to live in the nation, according to the latest ranking from U.S. News and World Report.

A total of 150 cities were evaluated in the study. San Jose was the highest-ranked California city on the list, being placed at the 13^th position.

Closer to home, Los Angeles ranked 139^th, a drop from its previous position of 128^th in 2022.

Here is where California cities ranked on the list:

13^th: San Jose

45^th: San Francisco

93^rd: San Diego

124^th: Santa Barbara

125^th: Santa Rosa

127^th: Sacramento

139^th: Los Angeles

142^nd: Vallejo/Fairfield

143^rd: Salinas

145^th: Modesto

146^th: Fresno

147^th: Visalia

148^th: Stockton

149^th: Bakersfield

Some California cities like San Diego and Santa Barbara improved their ranking from the 2022 report, while others like Sacramento and Bakersfield dropped.

To determine the “best” places to live, researchers evaluated data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the FBI, the U.S. Department of Labor and the publication’s internal data, along with survey data to determine the ranking.

The data was measured across about 15 metrics compiled into four categories: quality of life index, value, desirability and job market.

These are the top 10 “best” cities to live in, according to the report: