Modesto makes U.S. News’ 2023 ‘Best Places to Live’ rankings. Here’s where we sit

Marijke Rowland
Andy Alfaro/aalfaro@modbee.com

Well, at least we beat Fresno and Stockton.

Modesto, which over the years has been no stranger to the wrong end of national “Best of” lists, has earned a spot on the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of Best Places to Live in the U.S. in 2023-24. The national news magazine placed the Stanislaus County seat near the bottom, at No. 145 out of the 150 largest metro areas across the country.

The puts Modesto just above its two closest metro neighbors to the south (Fresno, which ranked No. 146) and north (Stockton, which ranked No. 148). In total, 14 California cities made the rankings this year, with only San Jose (No. 13) and San Francisco (No. 45) cracking the Top 50.

U.S. News ranked the most populous metro areas nationally using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI and U.S. Department of Labor, among other sources.

Cities were ranked based on four main metrics: quality of life (using crime rates, education rankings, commuting data, air quality and more), value (using housing affordability), desirability (using popularity surveys, weather patterns, migration trends and other data) and the job market (based on unemployment rates and average salary).

Modesto earned a 5.4 rating out of a possible 10 based those metrics from the magazine. But while cities like San Jose, San Francisco and Sacramento all dropped in the rankings from last year, Modesto actually eked up one spot from No. 146 in 2022.

The same rankings also broke down the data in other ways, creating separate rankings for Best Places to Retire (Modesto was No. 140 out of 150) and Best Places to Live in California (No. 10 out of 14). Modesto also landed on one of news magazine’s less desirable lists this year: Top 25 Most Expensive Places to Live in America, ranking No. 19.

In its ranking for Best Places to Live, Modesto’s “culturally rich city center surrounded by quiet residential neighborhoods” was cited as a positive, as were its many arts and entertainment venues and famous hometown names including “Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas, “Avengers” star Jeremy Renner and “Deadwood” vet Timothy Olyphant.

The report also notes Modesto’s “neighborhoods are lined with towering old trees” and being “encircled by farmland that’s focused on feeding the nation and the world with lettuce, grapes, almonds and dairy products.”

But the region’s cost of living — while less than costly coastal metros like Los Angeles, San Diego and Santa Barbara — is still higher than the national average, which helped place it low on the U.S. News rankings this year. It was also noted that home prices are higher than the national median in Modesto, as are daily expenditures including groceries, transportation and utilities.

Modesto officials said rankings like the U.S. News ones don’t always catch an accurate snapshot of the city and community, or the work being done to improve the region.

“Surveys are surveys, but those who live here know and love our community for the lively ambiance, beautiful trees and most giving people around,” said Modesto Mayor Sue Zwahlen. “All I can do is speak for the City of Modesto, and certainly we are working diligently to improve our quality of life and address those issues through the passing of Measure H and Stanislaus 2030 and other projects.”

Besides beating Fresno and Stockton, Modesto also ranked above Visalia, Bakersfield and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The latter took the dubious distinction of the worst ranked metro area for 2023.

On the other end of the spectrum, ranking No. 1 on this year’s U.S. News list was Midwestern gem Green Bay. The Wisconsin city is followed in the Top 5 this year by Huntsville, Ala.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; Boulder, Colo.; and Sarasota, Fla.

Modesto has found itself on the unfortunate end of many lists and rankings over the years. In recent years that includes surveys showing pay disparities between men and women, its number of car crashes and having the worst commutes.

All the California cities ranked on the 2023 Best Places to Live list are:

  • San Jose: 13 (down from 5th in 2022)

  • San Francisco: 45 (down 35 from 10th in 2022)

  • San Diego: 93 (up from 107th in 2022)

  • Santa Barbara: 124 (up from 126th in 2022)

  • Santa Rosa: 125 (up from 132nd in 2022)

  • Sacramento: 127 (down from 122nd in 2022)

  • Los Angeles: 139 (down from 128th in 2022)

  • Vallejo/Fairfield: 142 (unchanged from 2022)

  • Salinas: 143 (up from 144th in 2022)

  • Modesto: 145 (up one from 146th in 2022)

  • Fresno: 146 (down from 141st in 2022)

  • Visalia: 147 (up from 148th in 2022)

  • Stockton: 148 (up from 149th in 2022)

  • Bakersfield: 149 (down from 147th in 2022)

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