Best and Worst Places to Live for People with Disabilities
Congrats to the Heartland of America! According to an analysis by consumer finance website WalletHub, Overland Park, Kansas tops the chart as the best place to live for the disability community.
The cities of Scottsdale and Peoria, Arizona and Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida rounded out the Top Five. But how does your hometown stack up? Comment below if you agree or disagree!
Multiple Factors in Play to Determine Disability Friendliness
For the final ruling on most favored status, the study crunched the numbers from the nation’s 150 most populated cities across three primary dimensions that impact the disability community: economic environment, quality of life and healthcare.
Within these areas, 21 key metrics were identified as make-or-break for individuals with disabilities in pursuit of their own American Dream. Statistics like employment rate and median income for the community were major considerations in assessing the openness of the job market.
Other important factors include the number of physicians, the price tag on a doctor’s visit, availability of special education teachers, cost of living, housing affordability and the weather.
Here is the full list of 150 cities.
| 1 | Overland Park, KS | |
| 2 | Scottsdale, AZ | |
| 3 | Peoria, AZ | |
| 4 | Tampa, FL | |
| 5 | St. Petersburg, FL | |
| 6 | Huntington Beach, CA | |
| 7 | Oklahoma City, OK | |
| 8 | Gilbert, AZ | |
| 9 | Honolulu, HI | |
| 10 | Santa Clarita, CA | |
| 11 | Modesto, CA | |
| 12 | Amarillo, TX | |
| 13 | San Jose, CA | |
| 14 | Chandler, AZ | |
| T-15 | Lincoln, NE | |
| T-15 | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | |
| 17 | Grand Prairie, TX | |
| 18 | Colorado Springs, CO | |
| 19 | Corpus Christi, TX | |
| 20 | Chesapeake, VA | |
| 21 | Fremont, CA | |
| 22 | Laredo, TX | |
| 23 | Aurora, IL | |
| 24 | Tulsa, OK | |
| 25 | Virginia Beach, VA | |
| 26 | Denver, CO | |
| 27 | Baltimore, MD | |
| 28 | Boise, ID | |
| 29 | Arlington, TX | |
| 30 | Albuquerque, NM | |
| 31 | Mobile, AL | |
| 32 | Lubbock, TX | |
| 33 | Louisville, KY | |
| 34 | El Paso, TX | |
| 35 | Little Rock, AR | |
| 36 | Columbus, OH | |
| 37 | San Francisco, CA | |
| 38 | Bakersfield, CA | |
| T-39 | Kansas City, MO | |
| T-39 | Mesa, AZ | |
| 41 | Wichita, KS | |
| 42 | Aurora, CO | |
| 43 | Lexington, KY | |
| 44 | Jacksonville, FL | |
| 45 | Toledo, OH | |
| 46 | Plano, TX | |
| 47 | Henderson, NV | |
| 48 | Des Moines, IA | |
| 49 | Austin, TX | |
| 50 | Glendale, AZ | |
| 51 | Garland, TX | |
| 52 | Oceanside, CA | |
| 53 | Greensboro, NC | |
| 54 | Columbus, GA | |
| 55 | Fort Worth, TX | |
| 56 | Omaha, NE | |
| 57 | Washington, DC | |
| 58 | Long Beach, CA | |
| 59 | Baton Rouge, LA | |
| 60 | Nashville, TN | |
| 61 | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
| 62 | Salt Lake City, UT | |
| 63 | Durham, NC | |
| 64 | Shreveport, LA | |
| 65 | Phoenix, AZ | |
| 66 | Pembroke Pines, FL | |
| 67 | Minneapolis, MN | |
| 68 | Tacoma, WA | |
| 69 | New Orleans, LA | |
| 70 | Irvine, CA | |
| 71 | Springfield, MO | |
| 72 | Tucson, AZ | |
| 73 | Sioux Falls, SD | |
| 74 | Newport News, VA | |
| 75 | St. Paul, MN | |
| 76 | Raleigh, NC | |
| 77 | Fayetteville, NC | |
| 78 | Tempe, AZ | |
| 79 | Brownsville, TX | |
| 80 | Philadelphia, PA | |
| 81 | Montgomery, AL | |
| 82 | San Diego, CA | |
| 83 | Seattle, WA | |
| 84 | Garden Grove, CA | |
| 85 | Irving, TX | |
| 86 | Vancouver, WA | |
| 87 | Oxnard, CA | |
| 88 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL | |
| 89 | Atlanta, GA | |
| 90 | Glendale, CA | |
| 91 | Tallahassee, FL | |
| 92 | San Antonio, TX | |
| 93 | Huntsville, AL | |
| 94 | North Las Vegas, NV | |
| 95 | Los Angeles, CA | |
| 96 | Santa Ana, CA | |
| 97 | St. Louis, MO | |
| 98 | Buffalo, NY | |
| 99 | Anaheim, CA | |
| 100 | Augusta, GA | |
| T-101 | Las Vegas, NV | |
| T-101 | Sacramento, CA | |
| 103 | Houston, TX | |
| 104 | Akron, OH | |
| 105 | Cincinnati, OH | |
| T-106 | Spokane, WA | |
| T-106 | Chattanooga, TN | |
| 108 | Yonkers, NY | |
| 109 | Riverside, CA | |
| 110 | Orlando, FL | |
| 111 | Fort Wayne, IN | |
| 112 | Cape Coral, FL | |
| 113 | Memphis, TN | |
| 114 | Oakland, CA | |
| 115 | Charlotte, NC | |
| 116 | Miami, FL | |
| 117 | Indianapolis, IN | |
| 118 | Chicago, IL | |
| 119 | Pittsburgh, PA | |
| 120 | Chula Vista, CA | |
| 121 | Madison, WI | |
| 122 | Santa Rosa, CA | |
| 123 | Norfolk, VA | |
| 124 | Fresno, CA | |
| 125 | Dallas, TX | |
| 126 | Reno, NV | |
| 127 | Portland, OR | |
| 128 | Richmond, VA | |
| 129 | Ontario, CA | |
| 130 | New York, NY | |
| 131 | Fontana, CA | |
| 132 | Jackson, MS | |
| 133 | Anchorage, AK | |
| 134 | Cleveland, OH | |
| 135 | Boston, MA | |
| 136 | Grand Rapids, MI | |
| 137 | Milwaukee, WI | |
| 138 | Hialeah, FL | |
| 139 | Knoxville, TN | |
| 140 | Detroit, MI | |
| 141 | Rochester, NY | |
| 142 | Birmingham, AL | |
| 143 | Newark, NJ | |
| 144 | Winston-Salem, NC | |
| 145 | Stockton, CA | |
| 146 | Worcester, MA | |
| 147 | Moreno Valley, CA | |
| 148 | San Bernardino, CA | |
| 149 | Jersey City, NJ | |
| 150 | Providence, RI |
For the full results of this study and methodology, read on.
Pre-Register for Abilities Expo Today...It's Free!
Sign up for the Abilities Buzz
Stay in the know on disability news and info.