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'Voting with Your Feet' and Metro-Area Livability

THE 10 MOST-LIVABLE AND LEAST-LIVABLE LARGE METRO AREAS:
THE RATIONAL INDEX
RATIONAL RANK
METRO AREA
1
Las Vegas, Nev.
2
Atlanta, Ga.
3
Phoenix, Ariz.
4
Austin, Texas
5
Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
6
West Palm Beach, Fla.
7
Orlando, Fla.
8
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
9
Portland, Ore.
10
Charlotte, N.C.
RATIONAL RANK
METRO AREA
50

Chicago, Ill.
51
Bergen-Passaic, N.J.
52
Hartford, Conn.
53
San Francisco, Calif.
54
Newark, N.J.
55
Orange County, Clif.
56
Miami, Fla.
57
San Jose, Calif.
58
New York, N.Y.
59
Los Angeles, Calif.
NOTE: The rational index ranks metro areas according to the tendency of Americans to choose to migrate into them.
SOURCE: Author's calculations based on Table B-1, U.S. Census Bureau (1998)