What’s the best California city for veterans? This spot made national top 10
Returning to civilian life can be a challenge for military veterans — with housing, health care and jobs in limited supply.
Fortunately, California has one of the top 10 cities for veterans to live in the United States, according to WalletHub.
The personal finance website recently released its 2025 list of Best and Worst Places for Veterans to Live, comparing the 100 largest U.S. cities based on livability, affordability and veteran-friendliness.
“When veterans return home from serving our nation, it’s important for them to live in a place that provides good education and employment opportunities, along with access to quality care for their physical and mental health,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a Nov. 3 article.
The best cities for veterans also have “large veteran populations for community support, plus many restaurants and entertainment venues that offer veteran discounts,” Lupo said.
Here’s where California cities ranked, and why, according to WalletHub:
What’s the best California city for veterans?
More than 1.8 million former military service members live in California — the “largest veteran population” of any state in the nation, according to the California Census Office.
According to WalletHub, the Southern California city of Irvine ranked among the best places for veterans in the nation in 2025, landing at No. 9 with a total score of 64.86 out of 100.
Irvine offered the best health care options for veterans in the United States, Wallet Hub said, and ranked third nationally in terms of employment opportunities.
However, the Orange County city ranked considerably lower for affordability, at No. 60.
Irvine also made WalletHub’s list of the top 10 U.S. cities for military veterans in 2024, landing at No. 6.
Which other California cities made the list?
Only one other California city made WalletHub’s list of the top 20 U.S. cities for military veterans in 2025: San Diego, which was No. 17.
A number of California cities ranked lower on the list, including San Jose at No. 47, San Francisco at No. 52 and Los Angeles at No. 75. Sacramento was No. 61 and Fresno was No. 92.
Where are top 10 cities for military service members?
Austin, Texas, was the No. 1 city for veterans to live in 2025, WalletHub said, thanks to its strong job growth rate, top-rated colleges and high median annual income.
The Texas state capital also snagged the top spot in 2024, The Sacramento Bee previously reported.
These were the top 10 cities for former military service members in 2025, according to WalletHub:
- 1. Austin, Texas
- 2. Tampa, Florida
- 3. Madison, Wisconsin
- 4. Raleigh, North Carolina
- 5. Colorado Springs, Colorado
- 6. Virginia Beach, Virginia
- 7. Orlando
- 8. St. Petersburg, Florida
- 9. Irvine
- 10. Fort Worth, Texas
How did WalletHub rank best US cities for veterans?
To determine the best places for veterans to live, WalletHub said it compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across four key dimensions:
- Employment
- Economy
- Quality of life
- Health
The website evaluated those dimensions using 19 relevant metrics including housing affordability, unemployment rates and the number of restaurants that offer military discounts.
WalletHub determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score before ranking it.
This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 11:55 AM with the headline "What’s the best California city for veterans? This spot made national top 10."
