Prepare to brag to your out-of-state friends about living in Salt Lake City.
U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Salt Lake City as the 10th best place to live in the nation.
Utah's capital city ranked just below Des Moines, Iowa, and Boston. But it was listed higher than Colorado Springs, Colorado; Boise, Idaho; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Salt Lake City received a 7.1 overall ranking (out of 10), with a 6.9 ranking in quality of life and a 6.9 ranking in the job market. Desirability to live in Utah also ranked high at 7.3, according to U.S. News and World Report.
Local expert Carla Prutt wrote for U.S. News that Salt Lake City includes a number of fun activities like sports, outdoor recreation and nearby national parks that make it a desirable city in which to live.
“These days, the metro area's job opportunities are as enticing to newcomers as its entertainment options,” U.S. News reported.
The study uses Department of Labor data and its own internal research to rank the cities based on quality of life, job market, migrations and desirability factors. A full explanation of the methodology can be found here.
Here’s a look at some other notable statistics on the city.
Credit: U.S. News
You can read more about what makes Salt Lake City great at U.S. News and World Report.
Forbes previously ranked Salt Lake City as the seventh best place for careers, 25th for job growth, 57th for cost of business and 73rd for education.
And, according to Young Professionals Salt Lake City, the capital city earned a fifth-place ranking for its downtown and a fourth-place ranking for young professionals and workers. The city also topped out as the best hiking city in the country from National Geographic.
In 2008, Salt Lake City ranked as the 15th-best city in the country based on a CNN Money report. It received a high ranking for its “spectacular scenery.” The city lost a chance at higher spot because of “less growth than some neighboring cities.”