Ranking Weighs Nation’s Best Cities For People With Disabilities

A new ranking factoring everything from accessibility to the quality of disability services is highlighting the best places to live for people with disabilities.

St. Louis came out on top in the analysis of 182 cities nationwide.

Other winners include Minneapolis; Columbus, Ohio; Huntington Beach, Calif.; St. Paul, Minn. and Grand Rapids, Mich.

The annual list comes from the personal-finance website WalletHub.

Cities were evaluated based on 33 different factors across three categories — economy, quality of life and healthcare.

The research accounted for the effectiveness of each state’s Medicaid program, the graduation rate of students with disabilities and the cost of in-home care services. Some criteria such as the employment rate for people with disabilities and the availability of doctors, therapists and caregivers were weighted more heavily than others.

St. Louis scored well for its strong reputation among healthcare professionals, walkability and accessible parks.

WalletHub said it included the nation’s 150 most populous cities and at least two of the most populated cities in each state in the ranking. It is based on data from government agencies, disability nonprofits and other sources.

At the bottom of the bunch is Juneau, Alaska. Other poor performers include South Burlington, Vt.; Montgomery, Ala. and Gulfport, Miss.