A rainbow pride flag and American flags affixed to a home.

The 20 best liberal places to live in America

October 6, 2025
DarkLens Studios // Shutterstock

The 20 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 20 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.

Manhattan Beach California Pier as seen from ocean.
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Kirk Wester // Shutterstock

#20. Manhattan Beach, California

- Population: 34,584
- Median household income: $193,904
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Belmont Town Hall building in the historic town center of Belmont, Massachusetts.
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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#19. Belmont, Massachusetts

- Population: 27,009
- Median household income: $178,188
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Mountain View City Hall and Center for the Performing Arts.
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Framalicious // Shutterstock

#18. Mountain View, California

- Population: 82,363
- Median household income: $179,917
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

A rainbow flag flying outside of an apartment building in Manhattan, New York.
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Dogora Sun // Shutterstock

#17. Manhattan, New York

- Population: 1,627,788
- Median household income: $104,553
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A-

The Battle Green site in Lexington, Massachusetts.
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Alizada Studios // Shutterstock

#16. Lexington, Massachusetts

- Population: 34,085
- Median household income: $219,402
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Rent Electric Bike Beach e Biking on Redondo Beach pier.
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Walter Cicchetti // Shutterstock

#15. Redondo Beach, California

- Population: 69,814
- Median household income: $144,588
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

The Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland, near Four Corners.
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Ivan Ventura // Shutterstock

#14. Four Corners, Maryland

- Population: 7,785
- Median household income: $200,110
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

A home near a pond in Great Neck, New York.
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Debra L Rothenberg // Shutterstock

#13. Great Neck Gardens, New York

- Population: 1,245
- Median household income: $218,603
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Bike bath on the strand from Hermosa Beach to Manhattan Beach.
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emmavgerard // Shutterstock

#12. Hermosa Beach, California

- Population: 19,248
- Median household income: $152,019
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

A picturesque street in the city of Hoboken, New Jersey.
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Bruce Alan Bennett // Shutterstock

#11. Hoboken, New Jersey

- Population: 58,340
- Median household income: $176,943
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

Santa Monica Pier.
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Mark and Anna Photography // Shutterstock

#10. Santa Monica, California

- Population: 91,535
- Median household income: $109,739
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Aerial view of West Hartford and Hartford.
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Mark F Lotterhand // Shutterstock

#9. West Hartford, Connecticut

- Population: 63,809
- Median household income: $125,616
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Looking down a street in Clayton, Missouri.
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RellMade // Shutterstock

#8. Clayton, Missouri

- Population: 17,282
- Median household income: $128,898
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Chicago Avenue in Downtown Evanston.
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James Andrews1 // Shutterstock

#7. Evanston, Illinois

- Population: 76,552
- Median household income: $95,766
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Arlington, Virginia, city skyline on the Potomac River.
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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#6. Arlington, Virginia

- Population: 235,463
- Median household income: $140,160
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

City Hall in Cambridge Central Square.
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Heidi Besen // Shutterstock

#5. Cambridge, Massachusetts

- Population: 117,794
- Median household income: $126,469
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A

The Steuben House in River Edge, New Jersey.
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quiggyt4 // Shutterstock

#4. River Edge, New Jersey

- Population: 12,024
- Median household income: $155,827
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Snow blankets downtown Bethesda.
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Nicole Glass Photography // Shutterstock

#3. North Bethesda, Maryland

- Population: 49,498
- Median household income: $128,970
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Elevated view from Coolidge Corner in Brookline.
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Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#2. Brookline, Massachusetts

- Population: 62,822
- Median household income: $140,631
- Overall Niche grade: A+
- Public schools grade: A+

Aerial top down view of suburban multifamily homes in suburban Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
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Andrew Baum // Shutterstock

#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.

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