Carmel named No. 1 Best Place to Live, Fishers No. 2

Submitted

U.S. News & World Report has named Carmel No. 1 Best Place to Live, and Fishers has been named No. 2.

The 2026-2027 Best Places to Live in the nation recognition was released Tuesday, May 19, with Carmel and Fishers receiving the top two spots among 250 places ranked.

Finkam

“Earning the number-one ranking from U.S. News & World Report is an incredible honor that reflects the collective dedication of our residents, business leaders and city team,” Mayor Sue Finkam said. “Our focus has always been on cultivating a safe, innovation-minded and vibrant community built for big dreams. This recognition validates our intentional efforts to deliver world-class public services, foster a robust economic climate and maintain an unmatched quality of life. Carmel truly is the best place in America to call home.”

Fadness

“It’s an honor to consistently rank as a top place to live in America,” Mayor Scott Fadness said. “Being named as No. 2 best place to live is a testament to our focus on creating a community that keeps looking forward while building world-class quality of life amenities that exceed our residents’ expectations.”

This year’s list evaluated more than 850 of the country’s top cities based on how well they meet consumers’ living expectations, with measures including value, job market, desirability, and quality of life.

The four measures factored into this year’s ranking were weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find out what qualities they consider important in a place to live. The methodology also factors in data from a variety of government, private-sector, and U.S. News internal resources.