https://annarborusa.org/insights/communities/facts-rankings/
FACTS & RANKINGS
We love the Ann Arbor region and can speak endlessly about all the great reasons to live, work, and play here. You don’t have to take our word for it, though. We’ve been collecting rankings for more than a decade!
2018
- 2018’s Most Educated City in America, WalletHub.com
- 30 Best Cities to Retire, #4 Ann Arbor, USAToday.com
- Top 100 Best Places To Live, #1 Ann Arbor, Livability.com
- 2018’s Best College Towns & Cities in America, #1 Ann Arbor, WalletHub.com
- 2018 Best City to Live, #1 Ann Arbor, Niche.com
- 2018 Best City to Raise a Family – #4 Ann Arbor, Niche.com
- 2018 Cities with the Best Public Schools in America – #5 Ann Arbor, Niche.com
2017
- Best College Towns, #9, Ann Arbor, Livability.com
- Best Cities to Raise a Family, #4, Ann Arbor, Niche.com
- Best Cities in the Midwest, #11 Ann Arbor, MidwestStartups.com
- Best Suburbs to Live in Michigan, #1 Ann Arbor, Niche.com
- Best Mid-Sized Cities to Visit, Midwest #1 Ann Arbor, RewardExpert.com
- The Top 15 Universities Producing Unicorn Founders, #9 University of Michigan, Tech.co
- Best Cities for Entrepreneurs, #7 Ann Arbor, Livability.com
- Best Colleges For Your Money 2017, #3 University of Michigan, Time.com
- 2017’s Most Educated Cities in America, #1 Ann Arbor, WalletHub.com
- Top 100 Best Places to Live, 2017, #3 Ann Arbor, Livability.com
- Best Cities to Live in America, #1 Ann Arbor, Niche.com
- Best Cities for Small Business, #9 Ann Arbor, Valuepenguin.com
- Best College Cities, #1 Ann Arbor, Aier.org
- Best City to Raise Kids in the U.S., #19 Ann Arbor, Alarms.org
2016
- Best Places to Live, #8 Ann Arbor, Livability.com
- Best College Towns, #5 Ann Arbor, Livability.com
- 2016 Best Cities for Singles, #12 Ann Arbor, mlive.com
- 2016 Best Cities for Entrepreneurs, #6 Ann Arbor, livability.com
- 2016 Most Educated Cities, #1 Ann Arbor, Wallethub.com
- 2016 Best Colleges, #2 University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, Time.com
- 2016 Best Places to Live in Michigan, #1 Ann Arbor, Nichebeta.com
- 2016 Best Cities for Millennials, #5 Ann Arbor, Forbes.com
- 2016 Best Cities to Live in America, #4 Ann Arbor, Niche.com
- The 15 U.S. Towns Most Worthy of a Day Trip, #5 Ann Arbor, Esquire.com
- Best Cities for Women in the Workforce, #7 Ann Arbor, Nerdwallet.com
- Top 20 Happiest Cities To Work In Right Now, #20 Ann Arbor, Forbes.com
2015
- Best States in the County, #1 Michigan, com
- 10 Cities That Are Secretly Great for Tech Grads, #6 Ann Arbor, com
- Small American Cities of the Future, Human Capital, #1 Ann Arbor,fDi Magazine
- Small American Cities of the Future, Overall, #10 Ann Arbor, fDi Magazine
- Top 100 Best Cities to Live, #13 Ann Arbor, Livability
- Best College Cities and Towns in America #1 WalletHub
- #1 Most educated city WalletHub.com
- University of Michigan Top 10 Graduate Programs US News & World Report
- #1 City for Millennials American Institute of Economic Research
- #3 City for IT Talent CareerBulider
2014
- Best Cities for New College Grads, #7 Ann Arbor, com
- Most Educated Cities, #1 Ann Arbor, Forbes
- Best Places to Live, #43 Ann Arbor, com
- Top 100 Best Cities to Live, #14 Ann Arbor, Livability
- The 10 Best Midsize Cities to Raise Children, #3 Ann Arbor, MyLife.com
- The 10 Most Intelligent Towns College Towns in America, #1 Ann Arbor, com
- Top 25 Most Beautiful Cities in America, Ann Arbor, com
- Best Cities for New College Grads 2014, #7 Ann Arbor, Livability
- Best Cities for Well-Being, #6 Ann Arbor, USA Today and Gallup
- Times Higher Education World Rankings, #17 University of Michigan, Times Higher Education
- Top 25 Ranked Business and Economics Programs with the Best Return on Investment, University of Michigan, com
- America’s Best Main Streets, South Main Street, Ann Arbor, Huffington Post& Fodor’s Travel
2013
- Most Walkable Cities, #4 Ann Arbor, com
- America’s Top 25 High-Tech Hotspots, #18 Ann Arbor, Richard Florida, The Atlantic Cities
- Top 100 Best Places to Live, #14 Ann Arbor, Livability
- Best Places for Business and Careers in 2013, Ann Arbor, Forbes
- Best Towns in Michigan for Young Families, #7 Ann Arbor, Nerdwallet
- The World’s Top 25 Universities, #22 University of Michigan, Forbes
- Best and Most Collaborative Large U.S. College, #1 University of Michigan, Huffington Post
- Top 10 College Towns, #2 Ann Arbor, Livability
- Top Public Colleges, #5 University of Michigan, Forbes
- Top 20 Metro Areas for Venture Capital, #11 Ann Arbor, The Fiscal Times
- America’s Most Luxurious Layovers, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, CNN Travel
- Smartest Cities in America, #15 Ann Arbor, Business Insider
- Top 50 Cities Leading the Economic Recovery, #44 Ann Arbor, Area Development Magazine
- 10 Best Cities for Young Adults, #2 Ann Arbor, Kiplinger
- 10 Coolest Cities in the Midwest, Ann Arbor, MSN Travel
- Best Cities for New Grads, Ann Arbor #2, Kiplinger
2012
- Top 25 Graduate Entrepreneurship Programs, #2 Zell Lurie Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, The Princeton Review & Entrepreneur Magazine
- Best College Towns, #9 Ann Arbor, Livability
- Most Fun Public Golf Courses in America, #38 The University of Michigan Golf Course Golf Digest, September issue
- Best Cities for Education in America, #10 Ann Arbor Parenting Magazine
- America’s Best Small Cities, Ann Arbor, Money Magazine
- Best Cities for Successful Aging, #7 Ann Arbor, Milken Institute
- Most Creative Cities, #4 Ann Arbor, The Daily Beast
- America’s Best Hospitals, #17 University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, US News and World Report
- America’s Best Airports, #3 Detroit Metropolitan Airport, com
- Best Places for New College Grads, #8 Ann Arbor, The Atlantic Cities
- Most E-Literate Cities in the America, #2 Ann Arbor, The Atlantic
- Greatest Main Street in America, #10 Ann Arbor, com
- Best State to Make a Living in, #6 Michigan, MoneyRates.com
- Best Cities in America to Find a Job, #7 Ann Arbor, US News
- Happiest Cities in America, #5 Ann Arbor, The Daily Beast
2011
- Educational Attainment in Communities with 100,000+ Residents, #1 Ann Arbor, Business Journals On Numbers
- Top 10 Turnaround Towns – Midwest, #10 Ann Arbor, com
- America’s 20 Geekiest Cities, #16 Ann Arbor, Forbes
- 10 Most Educated Cities, #2 Ann Arbor, US News and World Report
- Most Well-Read Cities in America, #4 Ann Arbor, Amazon
- America’s Best Hospitals, #14 U-M Hospitals and Medical Center, U.S. News and World Report
- World’s Best Universities, #18 University of Michigan, Higher Times Education
- 10 Most Affordable Places to Live, #6 Ann Arbor, MSN Real Estate
- Top Art Destinations, #6 Ann Arbor (midsize city), American Style Magazine
- 25 Smartest College Towns in US, #4 Ann Arbor, Daily Beast
- Walk Friendly Community, Gold Level, Pedestrian Bicycle Information Center
2010
- Best College Sports Town, #1 Ann Arbor, Forbes
- 5 Great Places to Retire, #5 Ann Arbor, Fortune
- Most Educated Cities in US, #2 Ann Arbor, American Community Survey
- Top Digital Cities, #6 Ann Arbor, Center for Digital Government
- 20 Most Innovative Cities in the Nation (and Canada), #12 Ann Arbor, 2ThinkNow
- 75 Best College Towns and Cities, #2 Ann Arbor, American Institute for Economic Research
- 10 Great Cities for Raising Families, #2 Ann Arbor, Kiplinger
- Best Places for Recent College Grads, #3 Ann Arbor, Forbes.com
- Wall Street Journal Recruiters Survey, University of Michigan BBA: #1 for business, #1 for finance,#3 for computer science
- America’s Most Livable Cities, #4 Ann Arbor, Forbes
- Best Cities for Families, #4 Ann Arbor, Parenting Magazine
- America’s Top 50 Bike-Friendly Cities, #14 Ann Arbor, Bicycling Magazine
- Best Places for Business and Careers, #83 Ann Arbor, Forbes
- 100 Top Hospitals National Benchmarks Study, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Thomson Reuters
- Smartest College Towns, #2 Ann Arbor, Daily Beast Media Gallery
2009
- America’s Best Hospitals, #13 University of Michigan Hospitals and Medical Center, US News and World Report
- Best Small Cities for Start-ups, #1 City in Michigan: Ann Arbor, Business Week
- Great Schools, Huron High: Best High School in Michigan, Business Week
- Best Places to Raise Your Kids, #23 Ann Arbor, Business Week
- Best Colleges: Region by Region, Eastern Michigan University one of Best in Midwest, Princeton Review
- Top College Sports Towns, #1 Ann Arbor, Forbes Magazine
- Best Midwest Food Towns, #3 Ann Arbor, Midwest Living Magazine
- Ann Arbor: Silver ranking for bicycle friendly community, League of American Bicyclists
- America’s Star Libraries, Ann Arbor Public Library 5-star (highest rank), Library Journal
2008
- World University Rankings, #18 University of Michigan, highest ranked US public university
- Best Green Places, Ann Arbor #11, Country Home Magazine
- Healthiest Hometowns, #1 Ann Arbor, AARP Magazine
- Solar America Cities, Ann Arbor, US Department of Energy
- Brainiest Places to Retire, #1 Ann Arbor, US News and World Report
- 100 Best Places to Live and Launch a Business, #42 Ann Arbor, CNN/Money
- Top 50 Green Cities, #24 Ann Arbor, Popular Science Magazine
- America’s Best Colleges 2008, U-M #25 Top National Universities and #4 Top Public National Universities, US News and World Report
- Best Walking Cities, #3 Ann Arbor, Prevention Magazine
- 21 Best Cycling Cities in the US, #3 Ann Arbor, Bicycling Magazine
2007
- Educational Quotient Gold Star, Ann Arbor Public Schools, Expansion Management Magazine
- Fast Cities Cities on the Verge, Ann Arbor is Start-up Hub,Fast Company Magazine
- Best Places to Live, #5 Ann Arbor, Sperling’s
- Greenest Places in America, #11 Ann Arbor, Country Home Magazine
- America’s Best Colleges UM: #24 Top National Universities; #4 Public University, US News and World Report
- America’s Best Hospitals, #14 University Michigan Hospital, US News and World Report
- Digital County, #6 Washtenaw County, National Association of Counties
- Smaller City for Venture Capital Deals, #4 Ann Arbor, Site Selection Magazine
- Top 10 University for Nanotechnology, #3 University of Michigan, SmallTimes Media
- Cities Ranked & Rated, #5 Ann Arbor, Frommer’s
- Best Places to Live in the US, #5 Ann Arbor (up from #6 in 2006), Sperling’s BestPlaces
- Best Green Places to Live in America, #11 Ann Arbor, Country Home Magazine
- Top 10 Knowledge Worker Metros, #1 Ann Arbor, Expansion Management Magazine
- Top Metros for College-Educated Workers, #10 Ann Arbor, Expansion Management Magazine
- Best Hospitals,University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital: #1 state hospital and #13 nationwide, Child Magazine
- Best Places to Live, #59 Saline,com
2006
- Top 10 Brainiest Small Cities, #1 Ann Arbor, Bizjournals
- 10 Smartest Cities in the US, #3 Ann Arbor, Forbes
- Smartest City, #3 Ann Arbor, MSNBC
- America’s Top Restaurants, Zingerman’s Delicatessen and Common Grill, Zagat
- Top 100 Global Universities, #11 University of Michigan, Newsweek
- Top 100 Places to Live, #25 Ann Arbor, Money Magazine
- Best Places for Singles, #15 Ann Arbor, Money Magazine
- Stephen M. Ross School of Business: #1 North America, Wall Street Journal. The Ross School is one of only two business schools to be ranked in the top four every year since the Wall Street Journal began its rankings in 2001.
- Best Cycling Cities (population 75,000 – 200,000), #3 Ann Arbor, Bicycling Magazine
- Grammy Signature School, Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School, GRAMMY Foundation
