The 20 best small cities in the US

• Personal-finance company Wallethub has identified the best small cities in America.
• It compared 1,321 cities across five key metrics, including affordability and quality of life.
• The list is dominated by cities in the Midwest and South, particularly in Massachusetts and Indiana.

Tucked away from major metropolises, small towns offer residents an escape from the frenetic pace of urban life. Though they may lack the cosmopolitan flair of larger cities, like an abundance of restaurants and entertainment, they compensate with other crucial factors, including lower housing costs.

Wallethub has released an annual report that ranks the best small cities in America. The personal-finance company compared 1,321 small US cities — those with population sizes between 25,000 and 100,000 — across five key metrics: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. 

These are the 20 best small cities in the US, according to Wallethub. Insider included the median home sale price for each city as of August, utilizing data from Redfin, and population figures derived from the latest Census data, unless noted otherwise.