Jerusalem was below average in 33 of 56 metrics of quality of life compared to 18 of Israel’s other big cities, the Central Bureau of Statistics revealed on Monday, presenting data from 2023.
This performance placed Jerusalem squarely in the bottom third of cities, scoring better only than Bat Yam when looking at 56 of 90 metrics of quality of life available for the country’s major cities.
Among metrics in which Jerusalem underperformed, it had nearly twice as high a proportion of partially employed people not by choice (1.94% vs the 1% national average); household median monthly income was significantly below the national median (NIS 12,904 vs NIS 18,837); and the city scored just 12.2% on accessible housing compared to the national average of 29.1%.
When looking at metrics in which Jerusalem scored above average, Jerusalem had high satisfaction with work-life balance (74.3% compared to the national average of 65.9%) and the least new cancer cases among men, among others.
Jerusalem has a significant proportion of ultra-Orthodox and Arab residents and a “heterogeneous population,” the report emphasized. This could impact some metrics, such as median wage.
Herzliya came out on top of the rankings, scoring higher than average in 32 metrics.
Median household wages in the city were significantly higher than the national median at NIS 29,517, employees were more satisfied with their wages than the national average, and 96.8% were satisfied with life compared to the national 91.1%.
The city fell below national averages on attainable housing (18.8% compared to 29.1%) and feelings of depression (29.8% vs 25.5%).
Haifa’s ranking dropped in 2023 and went from being in the top third of cities to the middle third. The city, however, had the lowest levels of ongoing unemployment, the report pointed out.
Kfar Saba led the rankings regarding satisfaction with the area and several education metrics, including eligibility for matriculation certification and higher education.
Life expectancy
It also led the rankings in terms of life expectancy.
Tel Aviv was ranked at the bottom of the middle third of cities. It scored higher than average in 31 metrics and worse in 25.
Among metrics where Tel Aviv ranked better than national averages were employment rates (71.2% compared to 61.3%) and lower levels of loneliness (17.2% compared to 20.4%).
Tel Aviv scored worse than average when it came to attainable housing (10.8% compared to the national 29.1%) and housing expenses.