The average American household earns around $55,000 a year, which can go a long way in smaller cities, especially in the Great Plains.
SmartAsset named the 10 best cities to live on an average salary, with Bismarck, N.D., Billings, Mont., and Sioux Falls, S.D., earning the top three spots. These cities, along with No. 7 Lincoln, Neb., offer low costs of living, low housing costs, low unemployment rates, and short commute times.
Sioux Falls may surpass Bismarck and Billings in terms of its quality of life. Sioux Falls ranks better than both other cities in the number of entertainment and civic establishments per 10,000 residents.
Other metrics such as the quality of local healthcare and the number of entertainment and civic establishments were also factored into the rankings.
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