Austin, Texas, retained its spot atop an annual list of best cities for veterans released Nov. 3, edging out Tampa, Fla., and Madison, Wis., to lead the WalletHub rankings.

The list of the nation’s 100 largest population centers also saw familiar locations at the bottom, with Newark, N.J., repeating its last-place finish from 2024 and Detroit again taking 99th.

The rankings weigh “19 key indicators of livability, affordability, and veteran-friendliness,” according to the personal finance company. Along with the overall ranking, cities are broken into four categories:

• Employment: Hialeah, Fla., and Durham, N.C., took the top two spots, with Baton Rouge, La., and Memphis, Tenn., bringing up the rear.
  
  
• Economy: Two Virginia cities – Chesapeake and Virginia Beach – led the way, while four California cities – Long Beach, San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles – made up the bottom of the list.
  
  
• Quality of Life: Orlando ranked first in this category (and seventh overall), followed by Las Vegas and Boise, Idaho. Newark took last, followed by San Bernardino, Calif., and Detroit.
  
  
• Health: Eleven California cities tied for first place (including San Bernardino) in a ranking largely determined by quality and availability of VA care. Newark and Jersey City, N.J., tied for last.

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Irvine, Calif., finished tied for first in the health category and third in employment, but ranked ninth overall thanks largely to a 60th-place showing in the economy category. Four hundred miles up the California coast, the city of Fremont also tied for first in health and ranked fourth in employment, but took 95th in economic indicators and landed 38th on the overall list.

The study’s authors highlighted Austin’s thriving entertainment and dining sectors, and noted projections of a stable veteran population in the coming decades, allowing residents to “form a community of support.”

The personal finance site also issued results from a “Military Money Survey” in advance of Veterans Day, which found:

• 76% of respondents believe “joining the military is a good deal financially,” but only 71% believe the U.S. takes care of its veterans’ financial needs.
• More than half (54%) said tariffs and inflation hit military families harder than others.
• More than 4 in 5 respondents (81%) said identity theft among those in service is “a matter of national security.”

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WalletHub publishes its best-cities-for-veterans list every Veterans Day. Around Memorial Day, it releases an annual list of top states for military retirees – South Carolina took top honors for the second straight year.