The best (and worst) places for veterans to live, according to data

Veterans can experience challenges when they transition to civilian life after their service to the country, and finding the right place to settle down can be beneficial. 

With millions of veterans across the country, WalletHub put together a report on the best and worst places for veterans to call home nationwide.  

The personal finance website gathered data for the report comparing the 100 largest U.S. cities using four key categories: employment, economy, quality of life, and health.

Here's a breakdown of each category: 

Employment factors in the share of Military skill-related jobs, the veteran unemployment rate, and job growth. 

The report ranked the economy based on housing affordability for veterans, veteran income growth, the number of veterans living in poverty, and educational opportunities for veterans, and median income for veterans. 

WalletHub measures quality of life for veterans in the report based on veteran population, projected veteran population growth, family-friendliness, retiree friendliness, and restaurants and arts and entertainment businesses that offer discounts to veterans. 

Health in the report considers VA Benefits Administration facilities per veteran population, VA health facilities per veteran population, and quality of VA health facilities.

WalletHub then assessed those categories using 19 metrics, which are graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for veterans. Researchers also determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to create the rankings in the report.

Best cities for veterans to live

1. Austin, Texas
2. Orlando
3. Raleigh, North Carolina
4. Tampa
5. Virginia Beach, Virginia
6. Irvine, California
7. Scottsdale, Arizona
8. Madison, Wisconsin
9. St. Petersburg, Florida
10. Jacksonville
11. Miami
12. Laredo, Texas
13. Colorado Springs, Colorado
14. Pittsburgh
15. Gilbert, Arizona
16. Chandler, Arizona
17. San Diego
18. Chesapeake, Virginia
19. Henderson, Nevada
20. Fort Worth, Texas

Worst cities for veterans 

1. Newark, New Jersey
2. Detroit
3. Memphis
4. Baton Rouge, Louisiana
5. Indianapolis

What to know about the rankings for the top three cities for veterans

Austin

Austin earned the top ranking because it has the best colleges for veterans in the country, and the 9th-highest median annual income for veterans, at over $59,000. The city also has the fourth-best job growth rate in the country. 

According to WalletHub, Austin is also an ideal location for veterans to live because they can form a community with others who have had similar experiences, while having the second-largest projected increase in veterans between 2023 and 2050. 

Orlando

Orlando is the second-best city for veterans with a median annual income for vets that increases by an average of over 9% annually, which is the fourth-highest percentage in the country, and city's current median income is $51,000, which ranks 38th out of 100 of the most populous cities.  

Additionally, Orlando has the 5th-highest number of arts and entertainment establishments that offer military discounts per capita, and the second-highest number of restaurants offering discounts.

The city also has the sixth-most VA benefits facilities per capita and the fourth-most VA health facilities per capita. WalletHub noted that Orlando's VA medical facilities rank third in the U.S. and also have the 16th-most available beds per capita.

Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina ranks as the third-best city for veterans  because it has the third-lowest veteran homelessness rate in the U.S. Raleigh has cut the homelessness rate to only one homeless person for every 1,000 veterans, according to WalletHub. 

The city also provides great education and job opportunities for veterans, with the seventh-best colleges for veterans, and the 14th-highest median annual veteran income, at more than $56,700.

WalletHub noted that Raleigh also has the seventh-highest job growth rate, and the 14th-lowest veteran unemployment rate among 100 of the largest U.S. cities.

What to know about the rankings for the top three worst cities for veterans

Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey ranked as the worst city for veterans because it ranks 97th in the nation for employment for veterans and the city has a high unemployment rate for veterans, which is tied for 98th with Detroit and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

WalletHub noted that Newark's economy for veterans ranks 89th in the U.S. and ranks last in quality of life for veterans at 100 and ranks 94th in the health category for veterans. 

Detroit

Detroit received the second worst ranking for veterans, with a low employment rate for vets that ranked 96th in the nation. The city's economy also ranked 88th for veterans, while the quality of life ranks near the bottom at 99 among other cities. According to WalletHub, Detroit also ranks 82nd in health for veterans. 

Memphis

Memphis was ranked as the third-worst city for veterans in the WalletHub report because the city ranked 98th in employment for veterans, and also received low ratings for quality of life (92nd rank) and health for veterans (99th rank), but ranks 50th among other cities for its economy for veterans, WalletHub noted. 

To see the full list of best and worst cities for veterans, click here.