{"id":89403,"date":"2018-09-10T14:56:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-10T14:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/10\/methodology-best-for-vets-places-to-live-2019\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:21:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:21:20","slug":"methodology-best-for-vets-places-to-live-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/education-transition\/2018\/09\/10\/methodology-best-for-vets-places-to-live-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Methodology: Best for Vets Places to Live 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Main story<\/a> | Full rankings<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the Best For Vets: Places to Live 2019 rankings, we evaluated 599 places, as designated by the U.S. Census Bureau, dividing them into 282 small cities with populations of fewer than 100,000; 234 medium-sized cities with populations of at least 100,000 but fewer than 250,000; and 83 large cities with populations of 250,000 or more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We compared locations across three broad categories: veteran and military culture and services, economic indicators \u2014 some veteran-specific and some not \u2014 and livability factors such as crime, health, school quality and traffic. Each of the three categories were of comparable value in the evaluation, but economic indicators and veteran and military culture and services were weighed more heavily than livability factors. Including all data points measured, slightly more than half of the evaluation was based on metrics specific to veterans or the military, while the rest was based on metrics applicable to the population as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Population, home price, rent, income, unemployment<\/b> and commute time<\/b> data came from 2016 Census surveys, the most recent available information. Population growth data came from comparing the adult population recorded in the 2015 and 2016 Census surveys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military installation<\/b> information came from the Defense Department\u2019s 2016 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, the most recent such report available. In the case of joint bases, individual components may be reflected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VA health, benefits<\/b> and cemetery facilities<\/b> information came from the Department of Veterans Affairs website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crime report<\/b> data came from the Federal Bureau of Investigation\u2019s Uniform Crime Reporting data for 2016, also the most recent available information. We combined property and violent crime in the chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GreatSchools<\/b> rating data come from the national nonprofit GreatSchools, which uses a 1-10 scale to rate schools, with 10 being the best. We used GreatSchools ratings to calculate an average rating at the county level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area health<\/b> data, where 4 stars represents the best, came from an equal average of two data sources. One is the United Health Foundation’s 2017 America’s Health Rankings Annual Report, which provided state-by-state data. The other is the 2018 County Health Rankings from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, which provided county-by-county data. In addition, we took into consideration a substantial amount of data not listed on the chart, coming from a variety of sources, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n