More than 18.5 million veterans are currently living in the United States, according to the Veterans Association. To help military veterans find the best places in which to settle down, WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 20 key indicators of livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness.
Metrics in the WalletHub study included the share of military skill-related jobs to veteran income growth to the availability of VA health facilities.
The final list shows a wide variety of destinations located throughout the country. Three Florida cities – Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg – made the Top 15 list.
Top 15 Cities for Veterans to Live:
- Raleigh, NC
- Austin, TX
- Laredo, TX
- Madison, WI
- Tampa, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Boise, ID
- Lincoln, NE
- Irvine, CA
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Virginia Beach, VA
- St. Petersburg, FL
- Minneapolis, MN
- Durham, NC
- Gilbert, AZ
Other Florida cities on the list (and their rankings) are Miami (20), Jacksonville (21), and Hialeah (61). Both Miami and nearby Hialeah scored poorly for the percentage of military skill-related jobs but also were the two highest-ranking cities for veteran income growth.
Detroit was ranked the worst city for veterans to live followed by Newark, Memphis, Baltimore and Baton Rouge.
WalletHub is a personal finance company that produces a suite of services and tools including free credit checks.
