Onondaga Lake

Bill McGriff walks his son Elias, 2, to the shore at Onondaga Lake as warm weather hit the Syracuse area on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.

(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)

Five cities in New York have been named among the 100 best places to live in the United States.

Syracuse ranked No. 28 overall on U.S. News & World Report's 2017 list, and No. 1 across the state. The Salt City jumped more than 20 spots from last year's rankings with a 6.8 overall score out of a possible 10 thanks to high numbers in quality of life, affordability, and lower crime rates than similarly sized metro areas.

"When you hear someone mention Syracuse, New York, it's likely that they're making a weather-related joke," the publication said. "However, the region has much more to offer than just snow drifts and slushy water. Syracuse is more affordable than other major U.S. metro areas, making it a popular place to live for families and retirees. Young professionals also enjoy the region, both for its prices and because there's plenty to do."

Syracuse largely moved up from No. 53 last year due to a jump in desirability and a stable job market. U.S. News also praised Syracuse as a "comfortable place to live" with convenient commutes and lots of attractions within driving distance, including the Lakeview Amphitheater, Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, Finger Lakes wineries and the Buffalo Bills.

As a result, it's no surprise Albany, Buffalo and Rochester also made the top 50, thanks to low costs of living, quality of life and other refinements. Albany, which topped the state at No. 36 in 2016, ranked No. 30 in the nation this year, followed by Buffalo at No. 33 and Rochester at No. 39.

New York City was 80th overall, largely due to the high cost of living, a competitive job market and a lower quality of life score. NYC, however, was up from 96th in 2016, the first year U.S. News published its list.

According to NBC, the scores are based on desirability, job prospects and other data from the United States Census Bureau, the FBI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. News rankings of the best high schools and best hospitals, as well as a survey to determine which qualities people find most important.

Ranking in the top five were No. 1 Austin, Texas; No. 2 Denver; No. 3 San Jose; No. 4 Washington, D.C.; and No. 5 Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Best places to live in the U.S. (2017 list by U.S. News & World Report):

1. Austin, Texas

2. Denver, Colorado

3. San Jose, California

4. Washington, D.C.

5. Fayetteville, Arkansas

6. Seattle, Washington

7. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina

8. Boston, Massachusetts

9. Des Moines, Iowa

10. Salt Lake City, Utah

11. Colorado Springs, Colorado

12. Boise, Idaho

13. Nashville, Tennessee

14. Charlotte, North Carolina

15. Dallas, Texas

16. San Francisco, California

17. Minneapolis, Minnesota

18. Madison, Wisconsin

19. Grand Rapids, Michigan

20. Houston, Texas

28. Syracuse, New York

30. Albany, New York

33. Buffalo, New York

39. Rochester, New York

80. New York, New York