For 200 metropolitan areas, the Daily Beast examined six data points that were equally weighed to determine the top 30.
Included in the data points were small business friendliness, based on Civic Economics and the American Book Association's Indie City Index, the level of difficulty to find a job, income levels, cost of living, non-profit friendliness and if the city is student friendly.
The job finding data came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' unemloyment figures from September 2011, while data was also taken from Fannie Mae, Charity Navigator and the American Institute for Economic Research's 75 Best Colleges for Students.
No. 1 on the list was Austin, Texas, which has a median income of $74,900 and ranked second in student friendliness. The city also has a 7.4 percent unemployment rate, which is lower than the national average.
Following Austin were Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Iowa City, Iowa, which have a 6.8 percent and 4.4 percent unemployment rate, respectively.
The median list price for a home in Austin is $238,500, according to Zillow.
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