New study says this Johnson County city is one of the best in the US
A new study shows that you’re in a pretty good spot if you live in Overland Park. As for Kansas City residents, you might feel a type of way after these rankings.
Livability.com created a list of its 100 best places to live in the U.S. for 2026. The website partnered with Applied Geographic Solutions to create the list, and used the following categories to measure city’s overall health: economy, housing, amenities, environment, safety, health, education and transportation.
Coming in at No. 8 is Overland Park, receiving a Livscore of 801 out of 1000. The score is used to rank the cities and is based on the results of the prescribed categories.
“While it’s long been considered a gateway to Kansas City, there’s much worth sticking around for in Overland Park, KS. This city is here to convince you that the suburbs are cool,” Livability.com said about the Johnson County town. The website also recognized Overland Park for having a healthy job market, nationally ranked schools, neighborhoods and more.
Here’s the Livscores that Overland Park received in the following categories, which are out of 100:
- Amenities: 73
- Economy: 79
- Education: 98
- Environment: 54
- Health: 92
- Housing and cost of living: 75
- Safety: 76
- Transportation: 84
The city of Kansas City did not make the list, despite Overland Park being a part of its metro area. The other city in Kansas that made the list was Wichita at No. 83. For Missouri, Columbia comes in at No. 74, Springfield at No. 85 and St. Louis at No. 92.
Overland Park has continually been recognized as a top area to live in the U.S. Last year, Livability.com had Overland Park as the sixth-best place to live in the U.S. for 2025. Education website Niche.com had four Overland Park high schools in its top five for best public schools in the Kansas City area.
What are the top ten best places to live in the U.S. according to livability.com?
Livability.com had these cities as the top 10 best cities to live in for 2026, including their Livscores.
1. Huntsville, Alabama: 873
2. Carmel, Indiana: 860
3. Sugar Land, Texas: 840
4. Naperville, Illinois: 823
5. Plano, Texas: 813
6. Birmingham, Alabama: 802
7. Troy, Michigan: 802
8. Overland Park, Kansas: 801
9. Round Rock, Texas: 789
10. New Braunfels, Texas: 772
