Indianapolis makes 'Best Places to Live' report, but below 'Dirtiest city in America'

Indianapolis was among three Indiana cities that made the U.S. News & World Report's Best Places to Live in the U.S. for 2023.

But the Circle City wasn't exactly honored by the annual ranking.

Indianapolis came in at number 68 out of the 150 cities analyzed, below thriving hotbeds like Ocala, Florida (67) and Omaha, Nebraska (46).

To further the point, we were beaten out by a spot Walter Cronkite once called the 'dirtiest city in America," by a fair margin.

Chattanooga, Tenn., was ranked 48th, as the publication lauded the city as the comeback kid.

Indianapolis events: Superheroes, Legos & Unicorns: What conventions are coming to Indianapolis this summer

How 'Best Places to Live' are determined

U.S. News says to make the list they, "Analyzed the 150 most populous metro areas to find the best places to live. To make the top of the list, a place had to have good value, be a desirable place to live, have a strong job market and a high quality of life."

Fort Wayne was Indiana's top representative on the list, coming in at number 33. South Bend was ranked 76.

Indianapolis was given a 6.3 overall ranking that broke down like this:

• Desirability - 5.1

• Value - 7.3

• Job market - 6.4

• Quality of life - 6.3

• Net migration - 5.8

317 Project: The surprising Indiana origins of the Pentagon, Empire State Building and more landmarks

Here's what the publication known for their annual rankings said about our fair city in their explanation.

"Indianapolis is a great place to visit. But what makes Indy such a splendid place to stop over makes it an even better place to live. Home to the world's largest children's museum, as well as professional and college sports teams and miles of recreational trails, the Circle City has plenty to keep locals entertained. Indianapolis' lively downtown is easily walkable. With so many things to do, Indianapolis allows its residents to experience big-city living without too much effort."

Green Bay, Wisc. took the top spot on this year's list with an overall score of 6.9, a 7.3 in quality of life, and 8.0 for value.

The relatively low ranking for Indy comes after WalletHub buried us on their list of Most Fun States to Visit, something our Rory Appleton took exception to.

Best Places to Retire

We did rank slightly higher on the companion list, Best Places to Retire, coming in 48th. That ranking took into account housing affordability (7.4) and health care (6.5).

Fort Wayne made it all the way up to number 15 on the retirement list, with South Bend 30th.

Lancaster, Penn. was the top spot in the country for retirement, according to the report, carried largely by their 8.3 score for health care.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 2023 Best Places to Live: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend ranked