America’s Best Small City for 2026 is in Massachusetts

There is so much to love about Massachusetts, including the four seasons, the diverse lifestyle, and the high-quality educational offerings. Massachusetts has something for everyone. Not to mention, it's a great place for families. If Massachusetts is a place you have been thinking about moving to, you certainly have plenty of options to choose from. The nice thing about the Bay State is you can live in a smaller area while still not being that far away from the big cities.

Massachusetts is Home to the Best Small City in America

If you're considering living in a smaller city, three in Massachusetts made WalletHub's list of Best Small Cities in America, and one of those is #1. WalletHub grouped cities by percentile. The 99th percentile represents the top 1 percent of small cities in America. Lexington is currently the best city to live in America according to WalletHub's study. Lexington is in the 99th percentile and received a total score of 70.61. Here's what WalletHub stated about Lexington

Lexington, MA, is the best small city to live in, boasting the fourth-lowest property crime rate and 21st-lowest violent crime rate among the more than 1,300 cities in our study. It also has safe drivers, with the 12th-fewest car crash deaths and 17th-fewest drunk driving fatalities per capita.

The nice thing about Lexington is that it's only about 10 miles from downtown Boston. You get the best of both worlds as you have the peace and calmness of suburban living, but you can still take advantage of big-city fun and activities in Boston without having to make the city your permanent home.

Additional Benefits

WalletHub stated that Lexington has other benefits, including a high score for health and fitness, along with strong school systems. In addition, the report reveals that Lexington has one of the highest median annual household incomes in the country. You can get more details here. The other small Massachusetts cities that made the top 10 on WalletHub's list include Milton (#7) and Arlington (#8).