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Fort Myers No. 1 for this in new U.S. News & World Report ranking

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Fort Myers No. 1 for this in new U.S. News & World Report ranking

Anyone stuck in traffic in Lee County ― especially during season ― will likely agree with U.S. News & World Report on this: Fort Myers is among the “Fastest Growing Places” in America.

Fort Myers ranked No. 1, with three other Florida cities making the top 5: Port St. Lucie (No. 3), Daytona Beach (4) and Tallahassee (5).

What’s more remarkable is how hurricanes have not deterred people from moving to Lee County. Hurricane Ian was a Category 4 storm in September 2022 devasted much of the region, causing more than $100 billion in damage.

And the facts bear this out. A News-Press story Monday revealed how Lee County is attracting some of highest dollar investments in Florida. Lee ranks No. 8 among Florida counties based on business establishment growth, Gross Domestic Product growth and new building permits.

How did Fort Myers fare for ‘Best Places to Live’

Just down the road from Fort Myers, Naples ranked No. 1 on the U.S. News list released Tuesday.

Sarasota came in at No. 11, followed by Pensacola (No. 31); Fort Myers (37); Melbourne (No. 49); Jacksonville (56); Orlando (68); Tallahassee (75); Ocala (78); Lakeland (80); Port St. Lucie (83); Daytona Beach (96); and Miami (123) rounded out the top 150.

“Naples, Florida, takes the top spot due to its strong desirability and job market scores, andmoderately high quality-of-life score,” U.S. News said in its report.

Factors U.S. News used in ranking cities

U.S. News & World Report says its “Best Places to Live’ rankings “are designed to help readers make the most informed decision when choosing where to settle down.”

“To craft the methodology, U.S. News asked thousands of people to tell us what factors are important to them when choosing a place to live,” the company said in a news released.

U.S. News said it categorized data into four indexes: Quality of Life Index (32%), Value Index (27%), Job Market Index (22%) and Desirability Index (19 %). Data is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Sharecare, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and U.S. News’ internal resources.

How Fort Myers has ranked in recent years

Fort Myers in 2023 ranked No. 91 on the 2023-24 list of the 150 “Best Places to Live in the U.S.” from U.S. News & World Report. Fort Myers was 100th in 2022 and 43rd in 2021.

That same year, Fort Myers also ranked 57th in the U.S. News list of The 10 Best Places to Retire in the U.S.

“Situated between Tampa and Miami on Florida’s Gulf Coast, Fort Myers is a growing city,” U.S. News said in its 2023 story.

More: Lee’s hosting ‘largest gathering of CEOs.’ Where are 450,000 headed to in SW Florida?

“The ‘City of Palms’ has long lured vacationers with its year-round warmth, lush flora, waterways and proximity to white sand beaches.”

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram and Threads @lacrossewriter and on X (formerly Twitter) @NDN_dosborn.

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