This Johnson County community tops list of best small cities in America

A personal finance website has named Leawood as the nation’s best small city.

The Johnson County suburb tops Wallethub’s 2018 list of “Best Small Cities in America.”

Wallethub’s list, compiled using U.S. Census data and Bureau of Labor Statistics data as well as other research, ranked cities based on five factors: affordability, economic health, education, quality of life and safety.

Its data analysis included more than 1,200 cities with population sizes between 25,000 and 100,000.

Of all the cities included, Leawood had the strongest “affordability” ranking based on median household income, cost of living, homeownership rates and housing costs.

Rounding out the Top 5 on the list: Carmel, Ind.; Princeton, N.J.; Brentwood, Tenn.; and Milton, Mass.