The best liberal places to live in America
The best liberal places to live in America
If you've ever daydreamed about moving to a new town where you can freely express your political views—particularly in these starkly polarized times—you're not alone. An October 2024 analysis from the New York Times shows a growing trend of both conservative and liberal Americans relocating from politically mixed neighborhoods to areas more in line with their respective beliefs. In fact, a January 2025 LendingTree survey found that almost half of all respondents interested in moving would do so based on the political climate. Overall, 43% of Americans say they're willing to spend more if it means living somewhere that better matches their political beliefs and values.
For anyone who's considering moving to a more left-leaning locale, Stacker compiled a list of the 50 best liberal places to live in the U.S. using 2025 rankings from Niche. Niche ranked the best places to live using a variety of factors such as cost of living, housing, and public schools. To be included on this list, the city, suburb, or town must be considered "very liberal" by Niche, which bases each place's politics on the 2012 and 2016 presidential election results compared to the national average. See the full methodology here.
All four regions in the continental U.S. (Northeast, South, Midwest, and West) are included in the 10 best liberal places to live in the U.S. The top 10 scored well on public schools (Niche average of A+), diversity (Niche average of A-), and being good for families (Niche average of A+). However, they lacked when it came to affordable housing (Niche average of B-), safety (Niche average of B-), and cost of living (Niche average of C). The median household income of the top 10 only dipped below six figures in one location, and the median home value was at least $500,000 in all but three.
Keep reading to learn more about the best liberal places to live in the U.S., including their population, median rent, median home value, area feel, population size, and more.
Editor's note: Licensed images for some cities, suburbs, and towns on this list were not available. In those cases, photos of nearby locations were used instead.
#50. Berkeley, California
- Population: 120,223
- Median household income: $108,558
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#49. Eggertsville, New York
- Population: 15,416
- Median household income: $82,359
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#48. Winchester, Massachusetts
- Population: 22,862
- Median household income: $218,176
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#47. Westport, Connecticut
- Population: 27,282
- Median household income: $250,001
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#46. Wellesley, Massachusetts
- Population: 29,906
- Median household income: $250,001
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#45. Shorewood, Wisconsin
- Population: 13,682
- Median household income: $89,135
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#44. Hopkinton, Massachusetts
- Population: 19,050
- Median household income: $204,418
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#43. Takoma Park, Maryland
- Population: 17,522
- Median household income: $97,872
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#42. Clarksburg, Maryland
- Population: 29,246
- Median household income: $178,641
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#41. La Grange Park, Illinois
- Population: 13,227
- Median household income: $119,115
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#40. Kingstowne, Virginia
- Population: 17,436
- Median household income: $150,114
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: B+
#39. Edgewater, New Jersey
- Population: 14,544
- Median household income: $137,847
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A-
#38. Oak Park, Illinois
- Population: 53,315
- Median household income: $108,026
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#37. Fanwood, New Jersey
- Population: 7,714
- Median household income: $176,667
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#36. Forest Glen, Maryland
- Population: 6,650
- Median household income: $127,196
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#35. Fair Lawn, New Jersey
- Population: 35,153
- Median household income: $147,952
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#34. Sharon, Massachusetts
- Population: 18,478
- Median household income: $183,724
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#33. Hartsdale, New York
- Population: 3,254
- Median household income: $152,619
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: B+
#32. Arlington, Massachusetts
- Population: 46,015
- Median household income: $141,440
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#31. Fort Lee, New Jersey
- Population: 39,818
- Median household income: $105,535
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#30. La Grange, Illinois
- Population: 15,999
- Median household income: $154,556
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#29. Lauderdale, Minnesota
- Population: 2,386
- Median household income: $76,558
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A-
#28. Wayland, Massachusetts
- Population: 13,826
- Median household income: $221,250
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#27. Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
- Population: 38,440
- Median household income: $136,225
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#26. Glen Ridge, New Jersey
- Population: 7,827
- Median household income: $248,016
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#25. Cherry Creek, Colorado
- Population: 11,011
- Median household income: $147,618
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#24. Newton, Massachusetts
- Population: 88,504
- Median household income: $184,989
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#23. Albany, California
- Population: 19,768
- Median household income: $135,927
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#22. Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin
- Population: 14,750
- Median household income: $154,255
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#21. South Pasadena, California
- Population: 26,297
- Median household income: $128,105
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#20. Manhattan Beach, California
- Population: 34,584
- Median household income: $193,904
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#19. Belmont, Massachusetts
- Population: 27,009
- Median household income: $178,188
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#18. Mountain View, California
- Population: 82,363
- Median household income: $179,917
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#17. Manhattan, New York
- Population: 1,627,788
- Median household income: $104,553
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A-
#16. Lexington, Massachusetts
- Population: 34,085
- Median household income: $219,402
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#15. Redondo Beach, California
- Population: 69,814
- Median household income: $144,588
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#14. Four Corners, Maryland
- Population: 7,785
- Median household income: $200,110
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#13. Great Neck Gardens, New York
- Population: 1,245
- Median household income: $218,603
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#12. Hermosa Beach, California
- Population: 19,248
- Median household income: $152,019
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#11. Hoboken, New Jersey
- Population: 58,340
- Median household income: $176,943
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#10. Santa Monica, California
- Population: 91,535
- Median household income: $109,739
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#9. West Hartford, Connecticut
- Population: 63,809
- Median household income: $125,616
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#8. Clayton, Missouri
- Population: 17,282
- Median household income: $128,898
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#7. Evanston, Illinois
- Population: 76,552
- Median household income: $95,766
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#6. Arlington, Virginia
- Population: 235,463
- Median household income: $140,160
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#5. Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Population: 117,794
- Median household income: $126,469
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A
#4. River Edge, New Jersey
- Population: 12,024
- Median household income: $155,827
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#3. North Bethesda, Maryland
- Population: 49,498
- Median household income: $128,970
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#2. Brookline, Massachusetts
- Population: 62,822
- Median household income: $140,631
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
#1. Ardmore, Pennsylvania
- Population: 14,165
- Median household income: $115,273
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+
CORRECTION (Sept. 16, 2025): The original version of this article included the top public schools for each area. Upon further review, some of these public schools were nearby rather than in the exact area listed. They've been removed for clarity.
