Two South Dakota Cities Are Among the 20 Best Run in America
It certainly is not as easy to run a city of any size as it once was.
Rising infrastructure costs, increased population, and elevated crime rates have made the task of keeping cities moving forward quite a challenge in some places.
But not in South Dakota.
WalletHub set out to determine which are the best run cities in America, looking at six key areas:
- Financial Stability
- Education
- Health
- Safety
- Economy
- Infrastructure & Pollution
The 149 biggest cities in the country were considered and South Dakota came away in pretty select company.
The state's largest city, Sioux Falls landed in the top ten overall (#8), with high marks in economy (#21), health (#41), and safety (#44).
The city's lowest score was in infrastructure & pollution (#88).
South Dakota's second largest city, Rapid City, was also in the Top 20 (#16) with a top ten showing in economy (#6).
The city's lowest score was in health (#142), in part because of the highest infant mortality rate among the ranked cities.
Besides South Dakota, Idaho (1. Nampa; 4. Boise) and New Hampshire (3. Nashua; 13. Manchester) were the only other states with two cities each in the Top 16.
BEST RUN CITIES IN AMERICA
- Nampa, Idaho
- Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky
- Nashua, New Hampshire
- Boise, Idaho
- Provo, Utah
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota
- Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Missoula, Montana
Iowa put a pair of cities in the Top 100 - Cedar Rapids (#23) and Des Moines (#73).
Minnesota's two largest cities just barely cracked the Top 100 - St. Paul (#91) and Minneapolis (#96). The two were tied at number-four for best quality roads in America.
San Francisco, with the highest long-term debt outstanding per capita and fifth-worst quality of roads was named the worst run city in America.
WORST RUN CITIES IN AMERICA
- San Francisco, California
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- New York, New York
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Flint, Michigan
- Gulfport, Mississippi
- Oakland, California
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Tacoma, Washington
- Detroit, Michigan
- Kansas City, Kansas