Billings Drops from 23rd to 61st 'Best Place to Live' in U.S.

The annual survey from Livability editors and data scientists showing the "Best Places To Live in America" has been released for 2020, and Billings has again made the Top 100.

According to Livability.com, some of the factors that are used in determining what is considered the "best" city to live in their yearly ranking include:

Safety
Affordability
Economic stability
Outdoor recreation
Accessibility
Community engagement

In the 2020 ranking, Livability included a new metric they call an "opportunity score." That score consists of several variables including broadband access and economic resilience.

Billings ranked the 61st "Best Place To Live" according to the 2020 ranking, down from 24th in last years survey. Billings had an overall score this year of 644, with high scores for Housing (71), and Health (59). Billings had a 2020 Demographics score of 18, which dropped from a score of 42 in 2019.

Outdoor recreation opportunities are everywhere, neighbors feel more like family and jobs are plentiful. Plus, you can actually enjoy your free time in Billings, since your money stretches further and you won’t be stuck in traffic jams — the average commute time is just 17 minutes. The city is experiencing steady growth, thanks to its laid back, small-town attitude, advanced healthcare services and resilient economy. -Livability.com

The Magic City didn't make Livability's Top 100 Best Places to Live" list in 2014, and in 2015 debuted at #98. Billings gradually began to grow in the annual ranking, making it up to the 39th "Best Place" on the list in 2016.

Billings dropped to #87 in the 2017 ranking due to lower scores in Economy, Housing, and Health that year. Then in 2018, Billings didn't score high enough to make Livability's Top 100 "Best Places" list.

In 2019, Billings had its highest ranking on the "Best Places" list at #24, with high scores in Economy (75), and Infrastructure (74). In 2020, the Economy score for Billings dropped to 51, and Infrastructure dropped to 42 in the survey.

According to the 2020 rankings, here are the Top 5 Best Places to Live from Livability: