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In our commitment to providing insightful rankings, we often dive into a variety of superlatives — the most this, the ten best that, and the worst of everything. Our studies rely heavily on data, using medians and means to understand what’s ordinary and, in turn, what may be considered extraordinary.
This time, instead of focusing solely on the greatest or the fastest, we turned our attention to those cities that are performing well without being the biggest or the best. What about cities that are just above average?
Introducing the most above-average cities: the champions of mediocrity, the exemplars of the good enough. We grew tired of seeing the same metropolitan giants like New York and Los Angeles at the top, while places like Detroit and New Jersey languished at the bottom. Using data from the American Community Survey, we compiled a ranked list of cities that fall into this unique category.
Here are the ten most above-average cities in America, based on the latest Census data:
- Tulsa, OK
- Omaha, NE
- Portland, OR
- Dallas, TX
- Durham, NC
- Tucson, AZ
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Sacramento, CA
- Mesa, AZ
- Long Beach, CA
For a more detailed breakdown of our selections, keep reading. We also highlight some honorable mentions worth noting.
How We Identified the Most Above-Average Cities in America
Our aim was to find cities that are above average, but not excessively so, which meant excluding those that ranked above the 75th percentile. We sought to identify cities that fall within the third quartile, defined as:
Q3. A value in a dataset such that 75% of the data is below it. The third quartile is essentially the median of the data above the overall median.
Using the latest available data — specifically from the 2021-2022 American Community Survey — we analyzed 23 criteria, including:
- Diversity in race, age, and gender
- Commute times, modes of transportation, and remote work prevalence
- Proportion of residents born in the same state and non-native citizens
- Household demographics, including young children, bedrooms, and housing types
- Crime rates, employment rates, and insurance coverage statistics
Each city received a “meh” point for each criterion that placed it in the third quartile, which were then aggregated to produce our rankings.
We focused on the 200 largest cities in the U.S. by population, resolving ties by selecting the city with the larger population, as maintaining above-average metrics becomes increasingly challenging with larger populations.
If your city didn’t make the top ten, scroll down for a detailed chart of the top 100 cities. Otherwise, let’s explore how these top ten cities earned their rankings.
1. Tulsa, OK
Number of Mehs: 12
How It’s Not Average: Nestled in the heart of the most “OK” state, Tulsa leads our list with an impressive count of “meh” points. It boasts the second-shortest commute times nationwide and is famously dubbed the “center of the universe,” a title that’s certainly up for debate!
2. Omaha, NE
Number of Mehs: 12
How It’s Not Average: In second place, Omaha is known for two things: a Counting Crows song that could’ve been about it, and Peyton Manning’s iconic shout before the snap. Oddly enough, one of its quirkiest laws is that bartenders must brew soup while serving beer!
3. Portland, OR
Number of Mehs: 11
How It’s Not Average: Contrary to popular belief, Portland is more than just a haven for hipsters and hippies. It ranks high for its biking culture, featuring the highest number of cyclists per capita and hosting the largest naked bike race. While its unofficial motto is “Keep Portland Weird,” its weirdness index ranks it only eleventh in the nation.
4. Dallas, TX
Number of Mehs: 11
How It’s Not Average: While not as large as Houston or San Antonio, Dallas surprises with its airport size, which is humorously said to be larger than Rhode Island!
5. Durham, NC
Number of Mehs: 11
How It’s Not Average: Known as the Bull City, Durham is home to more lemurs than bulls. The Research Triangle Park here boasts a higher concentration of PhDs per capita than anywhere else in the country!
6. Tucson, AZ
Number of Mehs: 11
How It’s Not Average: Tucson enjoys the title of the sunniest city in the U.S., basking in 350 sunny days each year, and is humorously one of the most mispronounced cities in the country.
7. Colorado Springs, CO
Number of Mehs: 10
How It’s Not Average: Holding the number seven spot is Colorado Springs, which has a “meh” score of ten. It has become a notable target for various lists, but thankfully, it remains blissfully unaware of its perceived notoriety.
8. Sacramento, CA
Number of Mehs: 10
How It’s Not Average: Sacramento is famous for housing the largest almond processing plant globally and boasts an impressive tree count, yet it is also known for an abundance of frozen yogurt shops!
9. Mesa, AZ
Number of Mehs: 9
How It’s Not Average: Ranked ninth, Mesa is noted as one of the most conservative cities in the U.S. and is not particularly bike-friendly, given its scorching summer temperatures.
10. Long Beach, CA
Number of Mehs: 9
How It’s Not Average: Rounding out our list is Long Beach, famed for holding the world record for the most couples feeding each other simultaneously, and it’s also home to the world’s narrowest house!
Here Are the 100 Most Above-Average Cities in America
| City and State | Rank | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Tulsa city, Oklahoma | 1 | 12 |
| Omaha city, Nebraska | 2 | 12 |
| Portland city, Oregon | 3 | 11 |
| Dallas city, Texas | 4 | 11 |
| Durham city, North Carolina | 5 | 11 |
| Tucson city, Arizona | 6 | 11 |
| Colorado Springs city, Colorado | 7 | 10 |
| Sacramento city, California | 8 | 10 |
| Mesa city, Arizona | 9 | 9 |
| Long Beach city, California | 10 | 9 |
| Las Vegas city, Nevada | 11 | 9 |
| Kansas City city, Missouri | 12 | 9 |
| Raleigh city, North Carolina | 13 | 9 |
| Albuquerque city, New Mexico | 14 | 9 |
| Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Tennessee | 15 | 8 |
| San Diego city, California | 16 | 8 |
| Charlotte city, North Carolina | 17 | 8 |
| Jacksonville city, Florida | 18 | 8 |
| Oklahoma City city, Oklahoma | 19 | 8 |
| Lexington-Fayette urban county, Kentucky | 20 | 8 |
| Reno city, Nevada | 21 | 8 |
| Greensboro city, North Carolina | 22 | 8 |
| Winston-Salem city, North Carolina | 23 | 8 |
| San Antonio city, Texas | 24 | 8 |
| Oakland city, California | 25 | 7 |
| Fremont city, California | 26 | 7 |
| San Jose city, California | 27 | 7 |
| Santa Ana city, California | 28 | 7 |
| Austin city, Texas | 29 | 7 |
| Cincinnati city, Ohio | 30 | 7 |
| Glendale city, Arizona | 31 | 7 |
| Houston city, Texas | 32 | 7 |
| Milwaukee city, Wisconsin | 33 | 7 |
| Aurora city, Colorado | 34 | 7 |
| Baton Rouge city, Louisiana | 35 | 7 |
| Columbus city, Ohio | 36 | 7 |
| Wichita city, Kansas | 37 | 7 |
| Urban Honolulu CDP, Hawaii | 38 | 6 |
| Chicago city, Illinois | 39 | 6 |
| Denver city, Colorado | 40 | 6 |
| Anchorage municipality, Alaska | 41 | 6 |
| St. Paul city, Minnesota | 42 | 6 |
| North Las Vegas city, Nevada | 43 | 6 |
| Phoenix city, Arizona | 44 | 6 |
| Fort Worth city, Texas | 45 | 6 |
| El Paso city, Texas | 46 | 6 |
| New Orleans city, Louisiana | 47 | 6 |
| Tampa city, Florida | 48 | 6 |
| Lincoln city, Nebraska | 49 | 6 |
| Paradise CDP, Nevada | 50 | 6 |
| Arlington city, Texas | 51 | 6 |
| Fort Wayne city, Indiana | 52 | 6 |
| Orlando city, Florida | 53 | 6 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County metro government (balance), Kentucky | 54 | 6 |
| Washington city, District of Columbia | 55 | 5 |
| Jersey City city, New Jersey | 56 | 5 |
| Los Angeles city, California | 57 | 5 |
| Atlanta city, Georgia | 58 | 5 |
| Virginia Beach city, Virginia | 59 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh city, Pennsylvania | 60 | 5 |
| Chandler city, Arizona | 61 | 5 |
| Riverside city, California | 62 | 5 |
| Madison city, Wisconsin | 63 | 5 |
| Henderson city, Nevada | 64 | 5 |
| Norfolk city, Virginia | 65 | 5 |
| Chula Vista city, California | 66 | 5 |
| Corpus Christi city, Texas | 67 | 5 |
| Gilbert town, Arizona | 68 | 4 |
| Detroit city, Michigan | 69 | 4 |
| Minneapolis city, Minnesota | 70 | 4 |
| Cleveland city, Ohio | 71 | 4 |
| Irvine city, California | 72 | 4 |
| Chesapeake city, Virginia | 73 | 4 |
| Bakersfield city, California | 74 | 4 |
| Anaheim city, California | 75 | 4 |
| St. Louis city, Missouri | 76 | 4 |
| Plano city, Texas | 77 | 4 |
| St. Petersburg city, Florida | 78 | 4 |
| Fresno city, California | 79 | 4 |
| Lubbock city, Texas | 80 | 4 |
| Seattle city, Washington | 81 | 3 |
| New York city, New York | 82 | 3 |
| Philadelphia city, Pennsylvania | 83 | 3 |
| Miami city, Florida | 84 | 3 |
| Indianapolis city (balance), Indiana | 85 | 3 |
| Memphis city, Tennessee | 86 | 3 |
| Toledo city, Ohio | 87 | 3 |
| San Bernardino city, California | 88 | 3 |
| Arlington CDP, Virginia | 89 | 2 |
| Baltimore city, Maryland | 90 | 2 |
| Buffalo city, New York | 91 | 2 |
| Stockton city, California | 92 | 2 |
| Garland city, Texas | 93 | 2 |
| Irving city, Texas | 94 | 2 |
| Hialeah city, Florida | 95 | 2 |
| Boston city, Massachusetts | 96 | 1 |
| Newark city, New Jersey | 97 | 1 |
| Scottsdale city, Arizona | 98 | 1 |
| Laredo city, Texas | 99 | 1 |
| San Francisco city, California | 100 | 0 |
Conclusion
That wraps up our overview of the most above-average cities in America for 2026! For more insights and articles, visit Zippia.
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Author
David Luther was the Content Marketing Editor for the Zippia Advice blog. He developed partnerships with external reporting agencies in addition to generating original research and reporting for the Zippia Career Advice blog. David obtained his BA from UNC Chapel Hill.
