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More than half a dozen Massachusetts communities were named among the best small cities in America in a new study by WalletHub.

“Urbanization might be the trend for much of the population, but not everyone craves the bright lights and crowded spaces of big cities,” the website read. “In fact, city growth is slowing down while suburbanization is rising, and movement out of cities is spurred by fear of COVID-19 this year. In addition to providing a greater degree of social isolation during the pandemic, small-city life can be best for those who appreciate more wiggle room, fewer degrees of separation and shorter commutes, to name just a few of its advantages.”

The communities that made the list include: Lexington, Reading, Milton, Melrose, Arlington, Newton, Needham and Burlington. Massachusetts took eight cities in the top 20, which was far more than any other state in the country.

To conduct the study, WalletHub compared more than 1,300 U.S. cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 43 key indicators of livability. Metrics include the housing costs, school-system quality and restaurants per capita.

“But one of the best perks of living in a city with a relatively smaller population? Affordability. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the cost of living for a two-parent, two-child family in Hanford, California, for instance, would be $6,221 per month, compared with nearly double at $12,370 for the same family in San Francisco,” WalletHub wrote.

The top 20 cities on the list include:

Sammamish, WA

Carmel, IN

Brentwood, TN

Lexington, Mass.

Reading, Mass.

Zionsville, IN

Portland, ME

Milton, Mass.

Melrose, Mass.

Dublin, OH

Westfield, IN

Redmond, WA

Brookfield, WI

Arlington, Mass.

Princeton, NJ

Newton, Mass.

Needham, Mass.

Burlington, Mass.

Leawood, KS

Southlake, TX

The other Massachusetts cities on the list, ranked highest to lowest by WalletHub are: Waltham, Randolph, Medford, Belmont, Wakefield, Somerville, Woburn, Wellesley, Dedham, Brookline, Salem, Norwood, Milford, Saugus, Framingham, Peabody, Marlborough, Gloucester, Beverly, Danvers, Quincy, Malden, Northampton, Westfield, Everett, Attleboro, Haverhill, Leominster, Taunton, Revere, Fitchburg, Lynn, Pittsfield, Chicopee, New Bedford, Brockton, Chelsea, Lawrence, Fall River and Holyoke.