Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.
Adjusting to civilian life after serving in the armed forces can be a big challenge.
Which cities set up our vets for comfort and success?
LawnStarter compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities to rank 2023’s Best Cities for Veterans.
We looked for cities with high populations of veterans and access to support resources like VA facilities, nonprofits, and PTSD recovery programs. We also considered housing affordability, as well as employment and educational opportunities, among 37 total metrics.
See where your city landed in our ranking below, followed by information on our methodology.
1. Providence, RI
- Overall Score: 46.18
- Community Rank: 191
- Support Rank: 3
- Medical Health Care Rank: 1
- Mental Health Care Rank: 1
- Housing Rank: 172
- Education and Training Rank: 19
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 4
- Affordability Rank: 183
- Safety Rank: 32
2. Salt Lake City, UT
- Overall Score: 41.71
- Community Rank: 104
- Support Rank: 7
- Medical Health Care Rank: 7
- Mental Health Care Rank: 2
- Housing Rank: 83
- Education and Training Rank: 3
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 2
- Affordability Rank: 129
- Safety Rank: 169
3. Miami, FL
- Overall Score: 38.21
- Community Rank: 142
- Support Rank: 17
- Medical Health Care Rank: 21
- Mental Health Care Rank: 4
- Housing Rank: 118
- Education and Training Rank: 5
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 7
- Affordability Rank: 61
- Safety Rank: 89
4. St. Louis, MO
- Overall Score: 35.42
- Community Rank: 74
- Support Rank: 8
- Medical Health Care Rank: 10
- Mental Health Care Rank: 16
- Housing Rank: 99
- Education and Training Rank: 2
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 36
- Affordability Rank: 114
- Safety Rank: 101
5. Syracuse, NY
- Overall Score: 35.36
- Community Rank: 101
- Support Rank: 116
- Medical Health Care Rank: 3
- Mental Health Care Rank: 5
- Housing Rank: 124
- Education and Training Rank: 13
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 39
- Affordability Rank: 152
- Safety Rank: 23
6. Des Moines, IA
- Overall Score: 34.67
- Community Rank: 87
- Support Rank: 44
- Medical Health Care Rank: 17
- Mental Health Care Rank: 18
- Housing Rank: 33
- Education and Training Rank: 12
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 22
- Affordability Rank: 21
- Safety Rank: 66
7. Tampa, FL
- Overall Score: 34.40
- Community Rank: 68
- Support Rank: 12
- Medical Health Care Rank: 15
- Mental Health Care Rank: 33
- Housing Rank: 117
- Education and Training Rank: 51
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 6
- Affordability Rank: 39
- Safety Rank: 20
8. Atlanta, GA
- Overall Score: 34.09
- Community Rank: 24
- Support Rank: 10
- Medical Health Care Rank: 56
- Mental Health Care Rank: 94
- Housing Rank: 120
- Education and Training Rank: 6
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 1
- Affordability Rank: 137
- Safety Rank: 86
9. Dayton, OH
- Overall Score: 33.61
- Community Rank: 76
- Support Rank: 58
- Medical Health Care Rank: 28
- Mental Health Care Rank: 6
- Housing Rank: 58
- Education and Training Rank: 55
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 19
- Affordability Rank: 96
- Safety Rank: 42
10. Washington, D.C.
- Overall Score: 33.58
- Community Rank: 59
- Support Rank: 1
- Medical Health Care Rank: 68
- Mental Health Care Rank: 24
- Housing Rank: 109
- Education and Training Rank: 33
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 27
- Affordability Rank: 164
- Safety Rank: 126
11. Madison, WI
- Overall Score: 32.87
- Community Rank: 149
- Support Rank: 67
- Medical Health Care Rank: 38
- Mental Health Care Rank: 11
- Housing Rank: 61
- Education and Training Rank: 18
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 26
- Affordability Rank: 13
- Safety Rank: 36
12. Pittsburgh, PA
- Overall Score: 32.75
- Community Rank: 154
- Support Rank: 28
- Medical Health Care Rank: 25
- Mental Health Care Rank: 12
- Housing Rank: 155
- Education and Training Rank: 8
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 11
- Affordability Rank: 89
- Safety Rank: 78
13. San Antonio, TX
- Overall Score: 32.47
- Community Rank: 5
- Support Rank: 13
- Medical Health Care Rank: 121
- Mental Health Care Rank: 88
- Housing Rank: 27
- Education and Training Rank: 34
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 9
- Affordability Rank: 23
- Safety Rank: 68
14. Minneapolis, MN
- Overall Score: 32.19
- Community Rank: 43
- Support Rank: 70
- Medical Health Care Rank: 33
- Mental Health Care Rank: 14
- Housing Rank: 174
- Education and Training Rank: 27
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 10
- Affordability Rank: 111
- Safety Rank: 18
15. Grand Rapids, MI
- Overall Score: 31.89
- Community Rank: 141
- Support Rank: 93
- Medical Health Care Rank: 45
- Mental Health Care Rank: 69
- Housing Rank: 129
- Education and Training Rank: 1
- Employment and Volunteering Rank: 29
- Affordability Rank: 26
- Safety Rank: 21
Methodology
For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we gathered publicly available data on the factors listed in the table below.
We then grouped those factors into nine categories: Community, Support, Medical Health Care, Mental Health Care, Housing, Education and Training, Employment and Volunteering, Affordability, and Safety.
Next, we calculated weighted scores for each city in each category.
Finally, we averaged the scores for each city across all categories.
The city that earned the highest average score was ranked “Best” (No. 1).