In what will come as a surprise to no one, we learn today of a new report that ranks San Francisco as having the highest quality of life of any U.S. city. To which we say: Well, yeah, of course. (And also: That's why it's so expensive and everyone wants to be here.)
A study conducted by Mercer, a global human resources consulting company, seeks to determine which cities are awesome and which are not. The idea being that this information will help companies appropriately compensate employees who are placed somewhere by their employer. San Francisco is ranked as the top city in the States, well above both New York City and Los Angeles.
Mercer ranked 230 cities around the globe, looking at 39 different factors that include recreation, economic environment, and public services and transportation. Following San Francisco in the list of U.S. cities is Boston, Honolulu, Chicago, followed by New York City.
However, lest we get too cocky, it is perhaps important to note that not a single United States city landed in the top 25 (San Francisco is number 28). The number one spot on the list goes to Vienna, whereas the bottom spot on the list is reserved for Baghdad.
Anyway, perhaps keep these finding in mind the next time someone publishes one of those "why I'm leaving San Francisco" open letters. Also, London is ranked number 39, so take that Benedict Evans.
