A new survey ranks Portland in the top two percent of small cities in the nation.

The study from WalletHub compared more than 1,300 cities based their safety, affordability, quality of life and economic health as well as education.

Portland ranked especially high for quality of life and topped all cities for its unemployment rate.

Not surprisingly, the city ranked especially low for its high cost of living.

Three spots in Massachusetts joined Portland as top small cities – Lexington, Milton, Needham and Arlington.

Portland ranked in the 98 percentiles among the cities. South Portland was the next closest Maine city on the list with a ranking in the 86 percentiles.

All the 1,318 cities compared in the survey have populations between 25,000 and 100,000. Only the city proper was included in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area.

Overall, Portland ranked 22nd among all the cities.

Other Highlights:

581st – Income Growth
580th – % of Insured Population
20th – % of Adults in Fair or Poor Health
395th – Crime Rate
1st – Unemployment Rate