Richmond Is the 86th Best-Run City in America 2026

Richmond, Va., is the 86th best-run city in America, according to a new study by WalletHub comparing what 148 of the largest U.S. cities deliver to residents versus what each takes via tax dollars. The study included 36 metrics in six key categories: financial stability, education, health, safety, economy and infrastructure.

Local officials must balance competing community priorities with limited financial resources. This often means making difficult trade-offs—deciding which services are most essential, which departments should receive more or less funding, and whether taxes need to be adjusted.

“The best-run cities in America spend their tax dollars efficiently to provide high-quality financial security, education, health, safety and transportation to their residents,” said WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo. “Many of the top cities also have a very low amount of outstanding government debt per capita, which can prevent financial troubles in the future.”

In-Depth Look at Richmond

Richmond displays some signs of a well-run city, including the 19th-best water quality in the country and the 26th-lowest violent crime rate. It also has the 26th-least traffic congestion.

However, Richmond has room for improvement in other areas. For example, the city has the second-worst high school graduation rate. In addition, it has the 16th-lowest share of people with internet access.

How Richmond Ranks In Key Categories

This puts Richmond in 86th place out of the 148 cities in WalletHubs study.

Best-Run Cities in America

The methodology can be found on the full version of the article on WalletHub.