Three years after being named the best place to live in America by U.S. & World Report, Huntsville is no longer the best place to live even in Alabama, according to the same publication.

The Rocket City fell to No. 85 in the rankings after being ranked at the top, No. 2 and No. 7 the three previous years. The best place to live in the U.S. now? That would be Johns Creek, Georgia according to the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live in the U.S. rankings.

The best place to live in Alabama, according to U.S. News & World Report? That would be Hoover, checking in at No. 25.

How could Huntsville fall so far so fast? This year, U.S. News expanded its data to evaluate more than 850 cities (up from 150 in previous years), publishing the top 250 as the year’s best places to live.

“While the drop seems very extreme, it’s actually not that significant when you look at it proportionally and in fact any city that made the top 250 is considered to be a really great accomplishment,” said Erika Giovanetti, consumer lending analyst at U.S. News & World Report.

Huntsville’s fall in the rankings was not as dramatic as the two cities that followed it as the best places to live in the U.S. Green Bay fell to 170 and Naples, Florida, fell to 179.

Colorado Springs, which has been competing with Huntsville for the headquarters of U.S. Space Command, did not even make the list despite being a regular in previous years.

None of the cities currently ranked in the top 10 were included in previous rankings. Johns Creek, Georgia, took No. 1 due to its strong job market and desirability scores.

“The expansion of the 2025-2026 Best Places to Live rankings gives consumers a more detailed view into what it’s like to live somewhere at the community level, enabling them to consider more options for potential places to settle down,” Giovanetti said.

Hoover and Huntsville are among five Alabama cities making the top 250. Decatur checks in at 130, Daphne at 182 and Dothan at 190.

Giovatti said the Alabama cities consistently ranked well in job market and affordability rankings. She said Hoover scored well in the college readiness category (based on U,S. News’ Best High Schools ranking) and safety, which may have pushed the city in the Birmingham metro past Huntsville

“High schools in the suburbs usually perform pretty well,” Giovatti said.

She also said Decatur seemed to have benefited from being in the same job market as Huntsville, which opens its residents to more job opportunities.

“That speaks well for Huntsville, too,” she Giovatti said.

Decatur also ranked in the top 5% in home value price.

U.S. News also ranked the top 25 cities in three categories. Huntsville checked in at No. 25 among medium-sized cities. It was the largest city in the top 25. Hoover ranked 17 among small cities.

The rankings are based on a methodology that takes into account the city’s job market, value, quality of life and desirability. These measures were weighted in part based on a public survey of thousands of individuals throughout the U.S. to find what qualities they consider important in a place to live. The methodology also factors in data from U.S. News’ internal resources, Applied Geographic Solutions, and U.S. government agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The 2025-2026 rankings also include U.S. News Best States data on economy and infrastructure to deepen consumer confidence and understanding of cities’ standings on important factors that contribute to overall quality of life.

Among the factors listed included median household income, median home value and length of commute to work.

See story: The Best Place to Live in the U.S.A: Huntsville’s mayor talks city’s growth, development – al.com