The City of Galesburg was recently listed among the best small cities in America according to loan connection service, Pheabs.
A company blog post says they considered a number of factors in their scoring including affordability, economic health, and quality of life.
They looked at over 1,200 cities with less than 80,000 residents and compiled data from the U.S. Census.
Galesburg ranked #18 in the list, higher than Illinois cities other than Normal.
On a scale of 0-100, Galesburg scored a 73, while Cedar Falls, Iowa, topped the list with a score of about 78.
Economic health was a part of the scoring defined as; unemployment, percentage of people under the poverty line, and median household income.
It was also based on quality of life; derived from average hours worked, average commute, and how many residents walk to work.
Another scoring factor was affordability. That’s the median value of owner-occupied units, monthly homeowner cost, median rent price
It’s notable that the top 9 spots are in the Midwest, and 18 of the Top 25.
The report also notes that college towns are big, so Knox College, Carl Sandburg, and nearby Monmouth are boosts for the Burg.
Photo is courtesy of the Galesburg Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
