Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, September 18, 2014

Livability.com recently released its second-annual ranking of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in the U.S. Four Big Ten cities land on the list, headlined by Madison, Wisconsin, which comes in at No. 1 overall.

Livability on Madison:

"Whether you drill down into our quality-of-life statistics or analyze the city's array of amenities, Madison stands out as Livability.com's 2015 Best Place to Live. Both a capitol city and a hip college town, Madison provides residents with affordable housing, great schools, excellent health care and a wide range of recreational activities and entertainment options."

Two more Big Ten cities rank in the top 15, including Iowa City, Iowa, at No. 10, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, at No. 13. Lincoln, Nebraska, is listed at No. 37 on the list.

How is this list constructed? Each city is given a LivScore, which is a composite of more than 40 data points. Those data points were grouped into eight categories: Amenities, demographics, economy, education, health care, housing, social and civil capital and transportation.

See the complete list here.