Seattle Ranks as Best U.S. City to Live Despite Tax Complaints from Tech Leaders

Seattle’s high ranking reflects a combination of “excellent healthcare, a high quality of life, and the second-highest disposable income in the top 10,” which helped Seattle outperform larger, more expensive urban areas. Easy access to the outdoors benefits mental and physical health, while an economy centered on tech, healthcare, and education “provides stability and supports long-term investment in healthcare and environmental standards,” the magazine said.

Yet for months, tech leaders have argued the region is worth ditching over new taxes. Just this week, tech leaders warned again how a new income tax proposal could stall the region’s momentum in artificial intelligence, claiming higher taxes on top earners will trigger an existential threat to the startup economy. The recurring threat: people will leave.

The question remains: where do you go when you leave the best place to live? Many people in Seattle are from somewhere else, and certainly there are plenty of desirable places to live for a variety of reasons. Seattle has plenty of problems that will make residents and visitors alike scoff at such a ranking. But rankings like this should be considered when Microsoft, Amazon, or any other company or its leaders threaten they might have to leave rather than pay more to be here.

The tension between Seattle’s quality of life and its tax structure reflects a broader debate about what makes a city successful. The same factors that attract talent and investment, strong healthcare, environmental standards, and public infrastructure, require funding that tax proposals aim to provide.