- The Best Places to Be a Nurse – 2016 Edition
Entering the nursing field might not be a bad idea. The average growth rate for all jobs is 7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But growth for nursing jobs is expected to be a lot faster than average. In the future the country will need more healthcare professionals to help treat aging Americans and the… read more…
- The Best Cities for Book Lovers
Modern subway book lovers are in many ways like tango dancers. If they can’t get a seat, they bravely stand together, limbs interlocked for balance, books tenderly placed against noses, swaying together with the stop and go of the train, all in the vain hope of reading one more page on their 20-minute journey. Not… read more…
- The Best Places to Be a Teacher – 2016 Edition
Deciding where to teach isn’t always easy. Besides considering school quality and culture, teachers looking for jobs in any given area have to think about whether they’ll be able to afford to live there. The median annual pay for kindergarten and elementary school teachers was about 40.4% higher than the median income for all employees in… read more…
- The States with the Most 2016 Olympic Medals
The Summer Olympics. It’s that event that comes every four years and enthralls Americans with dancing horses, synchronized swimmers and whatever that sport is which takes place in the velodrome. This version of the summer Olympics, Rio 2016, was certainly a successful one for American athletes. Katie Ledecky became a household name and Michael Phelps finished the final… read more…
- The Hardest-Working Cities in America
Depending on where you are in the world Americans have different reputations. Some perceive us as lazy, while others think of Americans as hustlers, who believe in working hard to get ahead. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that Americans work an average of 1,790 hours per year. That is the… read more…
- The Best Cities for Vegans
Almost 2 out of every 3 Americans are overweight or obese, according to data from the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. While the science behind dieting and obesity is not completely understood, one thing nearly everyone agrees on is that when it comes to vegetables, more is better. Americans on average seem to be… read more…
- The Best Cities for Pizza Lovers
Among all the beloved foods in America, pizza seems to be one of the most hotly debated. Due to its simplicity and loosely defined parameters (dough, cheese, sometimes sauce), just about everyone has a favorite kind of pizza. Pizza topics like depth (thin vs deep dish), shape (square vs triangle) and even frozen preparation methods (microwave vs… read more…
- The Best Cities for Movie Lovers
According to the 2015 Time Use Survey, Americans spend almost three hours per day watching TV and movies. But how Americans watch is changing. Thanks in large part to streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, Americans have on demand access to more shows and movies than ever before. Indeed, the once ubiquitous movie rental company… read more…
- America’s Most Charitable States
The U.S. routinely ranks among the world’s most charitable countries. In the 2015 Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index, the U.S. came in second (to Myanmar). But which states do the most to uphold America’s reputation for generosity? SmartAsset crunched the numbers to find the most charitable states. Find out now: How much house can I… read more…
- The Top 10 Best American Cities to Work in Tech in 2016
Want to work in tech but not sure Silicon Valley is the place for you? You’re not alone. America’s tech scene isn’t just a California phenomenon. And in fact, when you factor in the cost of living, you might be surprised by the cities that turn out to be America’s best places for tech workers. This… read more…
- The Best Housing Markets for Growth and Stability in 2016
Editor’s Note: This study was originally published in June 2016. Historically, the housing market isn’t nearly as volatile as the stock market is. But housing bubbles eventually burst and as we’ve seen in recent years, recovering from a housing crisis can take… read more…
- The Best Cities for Multi-Generational Households
The number of multi-generational households in the U.S. is on the rise. Between 1980 and 2012 the number of Americans living in multi-generational households doubled, to 57 million. For reasons both cultural and economic, the trend of having three generations under one roof has continued in the years since. SmartAsset crunched the numbers to find… read more…
- The Least-Stressed Cities in America – 2016 Edition
We all know stress is bad for our health, but it can be tough to stop stressing over our busy lives. One way to chill out? Move to another city. SmartAsset crunched the numbers to find the least-stressed cities in America in 2016. We looked at factors that contribute to stress like divorce and bankruptcy… read more…
- The Cities with the Highest (and Lowest) Real Minimum Wage – 2016 Edition
Anyone who has ever worked a minimum-wage job knows how tough it can be to stretch those dollars. In some cities and states, the minimum wage goes further than in others, though. The places with the highest statutory minimum wage aren’t necessarily the places where the minimum wage goes furthest. We crunched the numbers to… read more…
- The Happiest Places in America – 2016 Edition
Though the U.S. doesn’t rank as the happiest country in the world (that honor goes to Denmark) Americans report high levels of life satisfaction. The U.S. ranked 13th in a recent World Happiness Report that looked at 156 countries. But how do individual counties within the U.S. stack up in the happiness stakes? Let’s take a… read more…
- The Income Needed to Pay Rent in the Largest U.S. Cities
Big-city living comes with quite a few perks. Grocery stores and shopping centers are often in walking distance and there are usually plenty of restaurants, bars and activities close by. But when you live in a city with a high cost… read more…
- The Best Cities for Teens
There are currently about 29.5 million teenagers in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau. That’s a lot of teenagers! In comparison, there are about 28.5 million U.S. residents over the age of 70. What do those teens do? Roughly one out of six of them work – about 4.6 million, according to the Bureau of… read more…
- The Metro Areas with the Most Mansions
What does your dream house look like? For some, it must include a swimming pool. Others want a 10-car garage to fit their collection of Lamborghinis. Those who prefer the urban lifestyle might opt for a Manhattan penthouse with views of Central Park, while those who love the mountains might be more interested in a… read more…
- The Best States for the Middle Class in 2016
The middle class is shrinking. According to a 2015 analysis by Pew Research, for the first time in recent history less than half of American households are part of the middle class, with greater numbers of households moving into the upper and lower classes. Likewise, while middle-income Americans used to earn more than 60% of… read more…
- The Most Undervalued Cities in America
Many of America’s largest cities are facing an affordable housing crisis. In particular, some cities on the West Coast and in the Northeast have seen skyrocketing rental rates and home prices in recent years, as the growing demand for urban housing has not been equally matched by increases in supply. While the supply side of… read more…
- The Best Cities for Coffee Fanatics
In 2016 it’s hard to fall over in a U.S. city without hitting a coffee shop. Thanks in part to chains like Tully’s, Dunkin Donuts, Caribou Coffee and Starbucks, the amount of coffee shops across the U.S. seems to have grown exponentially in recent years. Starbucks, for example, increased from 165 stores in 1992 to… read more…
- The Best Green Cities for Families in 2016
Americans are more concerned about the environment than ever before. In a Gallup poll released earlier this year 64% of respondents said that they worry about global warming a “fair amount” or a “great deal.” Nearly 60% said that the effects of global warming have already begun, while another 31% believe that it will eventually.… read more…
- The Most and Least Severely Housing Cost-Burdened Cities in 2016
Are housing costs taking up a big chunk of your budget? You’re not alone. Whether they rent or own their homes, housing affordability is a challenge for millions of households. But it’s especially a problem for households that rent. Nationwide, renter households are more than twice as likely to be housing cost burdened as owner households. Want… read more…
- The Best Cities for Living the American Dream
Is the American Dream making a comeback? After the housing crisis last decade, many people questioned the legitimacy of homeownership as a means of building wealth and providing economic security. Today, however, with home prices in much of the U.S. at last passing their pre-crisis peak and mortgage rates hovering near their historic lows, for many… read more…
- The Most Dog-Friendly Cities in America in 2016
Think of how much you love your best friend. No, not that one – the other one. The one who slobbers, licks your face and begs for food. According to The Humane Society of the United States, nearly 43.3 million households own at least one dog and about 70% of those dog owners consider their… read more…