Chicago suburbs and Texas cities are dominating the recent Niche rankings spotlighting the best places to live for 2025, offering residents excellent schools, affordability, and quality of life. NBC Chicago points to Naperville, Clarendon Hills, and Hinsdale as topping the Illinois list, standing tall among over 50,000 places evaluated nationwide.

Texas remains known for its affordability and well-equipped communities. Specifically, The Woodlands and Plano, as reported by Chron, snagged the second and sixth spots, respectively, on the national rankings. Naperville, meanwhile, holds the pride of place as the number one city to live in for the second year running.

In the data-driven analysis utilized by Niche, Vernon Hills, Kildeer, and Lincolnshire also made Illinois proud by cracking into the top 100, adding more feathers to Chicago’s suburban cap. The ranking looked at factors such as crime, public schooling, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities, which these locales have seemingly balanced to create highly desirable living conditions. "Where you live shapes so many aspects of your life, from career opportunities to the sense of community you feel," was a notion emphasized by Niche's CEO, Luke Skurman, in a statement obtained by Chron.