RentCafe's 2024 Most Livable Metro Areas: Where does Albany fall?

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- RentCafe released a report on the most livable metro areas in the United States for 2024. The metrics used when analyzing these cities included cost of living, healthcare, education, community spirit, and more.

The publication analyzed 139 metros in the U.S. and Albany made it into the top 20. The capital city of New York ranked 13th in the report.

The report said Albany stood out for three big categories: quality of life, community and location, and socioeconomic strengths. It ranked 24 for quality of life as well as community and location but ranked 64 for socioeconomic strengths.

Albany has only 4.7% of residents without insurance, making it one of the metros with better healthcare access than many others of its size. In terms of community and location, the city has a high rate of social associations and recreational activities.

The commute for Albany residents is also lower than most, with only 33% of workers facing a commute over 30 minutes. The research also states that Albany's cost of living is only 3% higher than the national average, making it an affordable option when looking to live in cities comfortably.

Portland, Maine ranked the highest on the list. The city has a socioeconomic rank of 11, a quality of life rank of 5, and a location and community rank of 5.