Newsweek/Veterans Map
By Joe Edwards
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On November 11, the nation will observe Veterans Day to honor and express gratitude to military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
With the national holiday just around the corner, Newsweek has mapped the best cities in the U.S. for veterans to live, according to a new report from WalletHub, with Florida dominating the top ten list.
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To determine its findings, the study compared the 100 largest cities in America across a variety of factors, scoring each city on four areas—employment, economy, quality of life, and health.
Factors examined included, but were not limited to income, job availability, employment rate, rate of homelessness among veterans, and military benefits, such as veteran discounts.
The cities in the overall top 10 were:
- Austin, Texas
- Orlando, Florida
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Tampa, Florida
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Irvine, California
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Madison, Wisconsin
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Jacksonville, Florida
Ranking first, as the best city for veterans to live was Austin, Texas. The report said this was largely because it has the best colleges for veterans in the country, and one of the highest median annual incomes for veterans—over $59,000.
With the second-largest projected increase in veterans between 2023 and 2050, the report suggested there could be scope for veteran groups to flourish.
It also noted that the city had plenty of establishments per capita offering military discounts.
"Austin is proud to be a community that supports and creates opportunities for veterans to build their lives here. Access to world class institutions of higher learning, as well as a strong network of support from our local veteran community creates an environment where veterans thrive," Austin Mayor Kirk Watson told Newsweek.
"We value our veterans and are grateful for their service and what that service has meant to all of us."
In second place was Orlando, Florida. The study said Orlando boasted quickly rising income expectations among veterans, with their median annual income growing by an average of nine percent per year.
Like Austin, Orlando many of the city's locales offer military discounts.
The WalletHub report said Orlando had the sixth-most Veterans Association benefits facilities per capita and the fourth-most Veterans Association health facilities per capita.
Coming in third was Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the study, the Tar Heel State's capital city has one of the lowest rates of veteran homelessness in the country. "Raleigh has cut the homelessness rate to only 1 homeless individual for every 1,000 veterans," it said.
Raleigh was also touted for its education and job opportunities for veterans.
Two Californian cities feature among the top 20—Irvine and San Diego. Irvine ranked first in terms of health.
But Deborah Johnson, President and CEO of the California Veterans Assistance Foundation, previously told Newsweek that veterans are severely impacted by a lack of health service in some parts of the Golden State.
"In rural areas, veterans are impacted by the lack of emergent medical and mental health services by providers that are culturally competent in veterans care," she said.
"In areas where veterans are served by community-based outpatient clinics, their operations are traditionally 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m., so they cannot accept veterans that are experiencing an emergency. The veteran must call a hotline to get a referral for community-based care from a provider that is unfamiliar to them.
"We need a way for community care providers to work directly with the VA to ensure that there is two-way communication and all treatment is entered into a veterans VA medical record," Johnson added.
The three lowest ranking cities were Memphis, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; and Detroit.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo told Newsweek that these "all highlight critical gaps in support for former military service members, underscoring the need for targeted improvements in areas such as employment, economy, quality of life, and health resources."
Newark ranked last with low scores in all categories. Lupo said the city ranked in the bottom five for military skill-related jobs, hindering veterans' ability to successfully reintegrate into the civilian workforce.
It also ranked last in quality of life, with a strained economy, limited growth prospects, and a low median income, the analyst said.
Detroit, which ranked 99th, suffers from the highest poverty rate among veterans of the cities examined in the study. Lupo said seven times more veterans were affected by the issues than in Chesapeake, one of the top ranked cities on the list.
Just above Detroit was Memphis, Tennessee. Memphis ranked so low "primarily because of high veteran unemployment and limited resources," said Lupo.
"Memphis also suffers from low health rankings and faces high poverty and homelessness rates for veterans." He said these combined factors make it difficult for veterans to maintain a stable quality of life in the city.
"For these cities, comprehensive efforts to increase employment opportunities, reduce poverty, and improve health care access are essential steps toward a more veteran-friendly environment. Addressing these factors could significantly enhance the quality of life and prospects for veterans in these communities," Lupo said.
Newsweek has previously mapped which states are home to the most veterans.
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