Illinois city named among nation’s ‘most livable small cities’

The most livable small cities in the U.S. are in the Midwest, with one of the top-ranked locations sitting in Illinois, according to a new list.

The ranking of "Most Livable Small Cities in the U.S.," created by financial website SmartAsset , looked at more than 270 cities with populations between 65,000 and 100,000 people.

Each city was then ranked based on a number of factors, including housing affordability, poverty and unemployment rates, health insurance coverage, access to healthcare, entertainment facilities and commute times, according to data from the Census Bureau’s 2023 one-year American Community Survey.

Of the top 15 cities on the ranking, 12 were in the Midwest and one was in Illinois.

The most livable city on the list was Plymouth, Minnesota, followed closely by Bloomi