TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Tampa is the best city for veterans to live, according to a new study by WalletHub.
With more than 19.2 million veterans living in the United States, more than 37,800 of them are without permanent housing. However, cities like Tampa are working to give heroes a welcoming place to call home when they retire from service.
WalletHub compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 20 indicators of livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness. Data ranges from share of military skill-related jobs to veteran income growth to availability of VA health facilities.
Tampa took the top spot among all 100 cities surveyed, garnering high scores for its veterans’ quality of life.
WalletHub calculated the quality of life scores with data such as the veteran population and projected veteran growth.
Veteran employment also scored highly for Tampa, which has nearly 140 veteran-owned businesses.
St. Petersburg ranked No. 9 on the list, getting its highest score in the health category for having an easily accessible and highly-rated VA health facility at Bay Pines.
Here’s how other Florida cities ranked on the list:
- Orlando, No. 3
- Jacksonville, No. 10
- Miami, No. 33
