Austin, Texas, ranked first among the nation's largest 100 cities in WalletHub's annual Best and Worst Places for Veterans to Live report, improving on last year's runner-up finish.

Orlando, Fla., and 2023 list-topper Raleigh, N.C., rounded out the top three on a list assembled from 19 "key indicators" ranging from veteran income growth to VA health care facilities to affordability to restaurants offering military discounts.

Newark, N.J., ranked last, one spot ahead of last year's "worst" city, Detroit. Memphis; Baton Rouge, La.; and Indianapolis completed the bottom five.

[RELATED: What Sellers Need to Know About VA Home Loan Assumptions]

The report also ranked the cities in various veteran-related categories:

• Employment: Fremont, Calif., took the top spot, edging out Durham, N.C., while Buffalo and Baton Rouge ranked at the bottom. The category measured factors including veteran unemployment rate and the percentage of veteran-owned businesses.
  
  
• Economy: Laredo, Texas, took top honors, edging Madison, Wis., in a ranking weighing housing affordability, median veteran income, and other factors. California cities (San Francisco, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland) took the bottom four spots.
  
  
• Quality of Life: Orlando and Las Vegas led the way in rankings based on veteran population, "friendliness" scores, and other factors. Newark took last, edging out Detroit.
  
  
• Health: Rankings based on the availability and quality of VA facilities skewed heavily toward California, with the top 12 cities all from the Golden State. Washington, D.C., finished last.

[RELATED: VA Warns Veterans to Watch Out for ‘Claims Predators’]

The personal finance website puts out its annual Best for Veterans list around Veterans Day. It releases an annual list of best states for military retirees around Memorial Day; South Carolina took top honors this year, edging out 2023 winner Florida and 2022 winner Virginia.