Another day, another accolade for the Rocket City,

This time Huntsville, the largest city in the Yellowhammer State, has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as the Best Place to Live for Families in the United States.

The magazine took into account several factors when determining Huntsville’s top rank in its Top 25 list.

First, the publication said, the city’s median annual salary of $61,140 is above the national average of $58,260. In addition, residents spend only 19.62% of that median annual household income on the cost of living.

Another factor U.S. News took into consideration was the cost of goods and services in comparison to other cities. This part of the evaluation placed Huntsville as the fourth most- affordable city out of 150 others.

The final factor that gave Huntsville its top rank was its lower risk of extreme weather, natural disasters, and a higher level of resilience if those were to occur.

U.S. News ranked Huntsville No. 2 as the Best Place to Live in the U.S. this year; the Rocket City was ranked No. 1 in 2022.

Best Places 2023-2024 Rank: 2
Metro Population: 483,366
Metro Size: 1,361.6 square miles
Median Home Price: $349,778
Average Annual Salary: $61,140

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.