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Best Cities for Veterans to Live [Study]

Transitioning back into civilian life can be a daunting final mission for Veterans and military families. Veterans United Home Loans created this list of Veteran-friendly cities to help our nation’s military community find a place to call home with the help of a zero down VA home loan.

By John Quin

Updated on October 19, 2020

Veterans: See what you can afford in 2023

In order to determine the best cities for Veterans, Veterans United compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities based on 21 key indicators of academic, social and economic opportunities for veterans.

Due to the pandemic this year we integrated a COVID-19 data set to our Quality of Life dimension. Our data sets range from the cost of living to the quality of higher education to the number of reported COVID-19 cases for a particular area. Below are our findings and a full description of our methodology

Let’s take a closer look at the cities that topped the list for best cities for veterans and military families and a complete description of our methodology.

Top 10 Cities for Veterans to Live in 2020
Table 2: Top 50 Places for Veterans to Live in 2020
Research Methodology
Raw Files for News Use

Top 10 Cities for Veterans to Live in 2020

Here are the cites that made it to the top of the list for 2020.

#10 - Virginia Beach, VA

Veteran Population	57,082
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	19
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	105.6
Median Home Price	$268,100
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	10.5
Number of VA Health Centers	6
Number of VA Benefit Centers	16

#9 - Kansas City, MO

Veteran Population	25,098
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	15
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	86.2
Median Home Price	$146,300
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	70.8
Number of VA Health Centers	13
Number of VA Benefit Centers	1

#8 - Boise City, ID

Veteran Population	15,259
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	65
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	103.6
Median Home Price	$303,100
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	16.3
Number of VA Health Centers	3
Number of VA Benefit Centers	1

#7 - El Paso, TX

Veteran Population	43, 536
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	42
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	81.4
Median Home Price	$130,700
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	22.1
Number of VA Health Centers	7
Number of VA Benefit Centers	4

#6 - Durham, NC

Veteran Population	12, 399
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	34
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	95.2
Median Home Price	$231,400
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	40.6
Number of VA Health Centers	10
Number of VA Benefit Centers	0

#5 - Lincoln, NE

Veteran Population	13, 863
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	19
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	89.8
Median Home Price	$180, 600
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	17
Number of VA Health Centers	4
Number of VA Benefit Centers	7

#4 - Raleigh, NC

Veteran Population	$44,325
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	43
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	102.3
Median Home Price	$273,900
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	20.3
Number of VA Health Centers	17
Number of VA Benefit Centers	5

#3 - Fort Wayne, IN

Veteran Population	14,017
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	26
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	78.9
Median Home Price	$135,100
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	23.5
Number of VA Health Centers	4
Number of VA Benefit Centers	4

#2 - Colorado Springs, CO

Veteran Population	51, 895
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	18
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	104.5
Median Home Price	$287,900
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	23.6
Number of VA Health Centers	1
Number of VA Benefit Centers	2

#1 - Chesapeake, VA

Veteran Population	27,191
# of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People	22
Cost of Living Compared to the National Average	106.4
Median Home Price	$270,300
Violent Crime Rate (National Average is 22.7)	18.1
Number of VA Health Centers	16
Number of VA Benefit Centers	6

Table 2: Top 50 Places for Veterans to Live in 2021

MSA	Overall Rank	Veteran Unemployment Rate Rank	Cost of Living Rank	Rate of Growth of VA Loans (FY 19-20) Rank	Housing Affordability Rank
Chesapeake, VA	1	34	61	42	85
Colorado Springs, CO	2	26	59	31	44
Fort Wayne, IN	3	41	5	75	34
Raleigh, NC	4	23	51	53	27
Lincoln, NE	5	2	28	46	40
Durham, NC	6	9	36	74	44
El Paso, TX	7	67	10	90	92
Boise City, ID	8	20	54	56	62
Kansas City, MO	9	20	21	75	26
Virginia Beach, VA	10	46	60	31	82
Plano, TX	11	23	65	3	85
Wichita, KS	12	51	10	92	50
Lubbock, TX	13	41	7	95	84
Arlington, TX	14	11	45	53	36
San Antonio, TX	15	59	27	49	53
Jacksonville, FL	16	63	35	86	68
Fort Worth, TX	17	75	43	75	41
Charlotte, NC	18	37	40	53	70
Norfolk, VA	19	83	33	73	38
Aurora, CO	20	59	73	33	19
Albuquerque, NM	21	98	31	84	71
Greensboro, NC	22	14	15	44	81
Laredo, TX	23	7	16	79	99
Austin, TX	24	23	76	51	47
Louisville, KY	25	30	25	62	21
Anchorage, AK	26	46	79	23	31
Corpus Christi, TX	27	39	12	81	73
Tulsa, OK	28	34	13	87	59
Omaha, NE	29	30	29	71	28
Spokane, WA	30	26	34	51	60
Columbus, OH	31	15	20	84	23
Nashville, TN	32	10	49	75	52
Madison, WI	33	11	47	43	30
Winston-Salem, NC	34	37	9	88	76
Lexington-Fayette, KY	35	89	26	68	63
Toledo, OH	36	78	2	99	46
Tampa, FL	37	19	44	72	90
Orlando, FL	38	71	57	66	75
Birmingham, AL	39	79	3	82	32
Oklahoma City, OK	40	6	19	96	65
Chula Vista, CA	41	83	86	18	87
Baton Rouge, LA	42	97	30	39	39
Dallas, TX	43	44	50	57	29
Denver, CO	44	17	80	48	20
Phoenix, AZ	45	68	56	27	56
Portland, OR	46	79	81	40	51
Irving, TX	47	3	46	30	24
Seattle, WA	48	68	92	19	43
St. Petersburg, FL	49	41	39	80	89
Garland, TX	50	15	41	29	42

Research Methodology

In order to determine the best cities for Veterans to live, Veterans United’s analysts first compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across 4 key dimensions: Economic Wellness, Employment, Availability of VA Benefits and Quality of Life for Veterans.

Next, we evaluated the strength of each city across those dimensions using 21 relevant variables, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Metrics were gathered from a social media survey of Veterans and other similar studies.

Then, each city was scored and ranked in each of the 21 variables by multiplying the city’s rank by that variable’s weight. The final rankings were determined by the city’s total score, with the lowest score representing the best city for Veterans to live.

(For our data sample, we only considered the city proper and excluded the metro area. Data for variables marked with an asterisk (*) were only available at the county level.)

Variables

Economic Wellness

Percentage of Monthly Income Spent on Monthly Mortgage Payment (Double Weight)

(Note: This metric was measured using the average county property tax rate, the national average interest rate of 4.75%, a 2.15% funding fee with no down payment.)

Percentage of Monthly Income Spent on Rent (Double Weight)

(Note: This metric was measured using the average county property tax rate, the national average interest rate of 4.75%, a 2.15% funding fee with no down payment.)

Median Veteran Income Adjusted for Local Cost of Living

(Note: This metric calculated the percentage of an individual’s income spent on the estimated cost of living expenses.)

Homeless Veterans per 1,000 Veterans (Half Weight)

Note: This metric uses Continuum of Care data from the Department of Housing and Development’s PIT and HIC Counts.

Cost of Living Compared to the National Average (Full Weight)

Housing Affordability (Full Weight)

(Note: This metric includes the H +T index score to account for a household’s two largest costs: housing and transportation.)

Veteran Income Growth Since 2012 (Full Weight)

(Note: This metric measures the rate of growth for median veteran income since 2013 compared to 2018.

Employment

Veteran Unemployment Rate (Double Weight)

5 Year Rate of Job Growth (Double Weight)

(Note: This metric measures the rate of job growth since 2013.)

Number of Veteran-Owned Businesses per 1,000 Veterans (Half Weight)

Civilian Unemployment Rate (Half Weight)

Availability of VA Benefits

Quality of VA Health Facilities * (Double Weight)

(Note: This metric uses the Department of Veterans Affairs’ End of Year Hospital Star Ratings from its “Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning” (SAIL) tool. Data was recorded for the nearest VA Medical Center facility.)

Number of Higher Education Facilities Approved for VA Benefits (Double Weight)

(Note: This metric measures the number of secondary education facilities within a city that are approved by the VA for VA Benefit Funding.)

Number of VA Health Facilities per 1,000 Veterans (Full Weight)

(Note: Data taken for number of facilities within 50 miles radius.)

Number of Veterans Benefits Administration Facilities per 1,000 Veterans (Full Weight)

(Note: Data taken for number of facilities within 50 miles radius.)

5 Year Compounded Annual Growth Rate of VA Loans (Half Weight)

(Note: This metric measures the weighted rate of growth of VA loans issued in a city from 2013 – 2018.)

Quality of Life for Veterans

# Of COVID-19 Cases Per 1,000 People from (3/2020 - 9/2020) (Double Weight)

Percentage of Veterans Living Below the Poverty Line (Double Weight)

Veteran Population as a Percentage of the Total Population (Full Weight)

Projected Veteran Population Growth from 2018 – 2048 * (Full Weight)

Violent Crime Rate (Half Weight)

(Note: The national average score is 31.1. Scores below the national average represent safer cities.)

Sources

Data was collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Veterans Affairs, Center for Neighborhood Technology’s H+T Index, Sperling's Best Places, U.S Department of Veteran Affairs the COVID Tracking Project and Veterans United Home Loans.

Like this list? Check out the 10 Most Affordable Places for Veterans to live in 2020

Raw Files for News Use: