Tag: News

• A recent WalletHub study ranked the best small cities in America.
• Of the over 1,300 cities and towns in the study, 19 ranked in the top percentile.
• The best small cities strike a balance between affordability and a high quality of life.

While some live for the city hustle, others find the best place to be somewhere quiet, calm, and away from urban chaos.

As more Americans turn to rural towns and suburbs to settle down in, local charm is regaining its luster.

A recent WalletHub study surveyed 1,318 small cities across the US — defined as cities with populations sized between 25,000 and 100,000 people — and compared them across categories including affordability, economy, health, education, and quality of life.

The affordability rank of each city was determined by looking at its average housing cost, homeownership rate, household income, and cost of living, among other metrics, according to the study's methodology section.

Economic health was measured using metrics such as population, income, and job growth rates, as well as unemployment rates, average debt and bankruptcy rates, and median credit scores.

For the education and health rankings, WalletHub examined metrics such as graduation rates, rates of obese and physically inactive adults, insured population, and other health indicators. They also used a school-system quality metric based on previous WalletHub research.

The quality of life ranking took into account factors such as average commute time and work hours, as well as the number of restaurants, bars, clubs, and other attractions per capita. Each city's safety ranking was determined using rates like violent and property crime, car crashes, pedestrian deaths, and drug poisoning deaths.

The study utilized data from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as data from companies such as Areavibes, TransUnion, TripAdvisor, Yelp, and WalletHub.

Of the over 1,000 cities, 19 received scores that ranked in the top percentile across the various categories.

See the places that WalletHub ranked as being the top small cities in the US in 2025.

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, had the highest quality of life ranking among the top cities, placing within the top 10 nationwide.

Arlington, Massachusetts

Although Arlington, Massachusetts — located six miles outside Boston — is among the top five most unaffordable cities in the top-performing cities, it ranked second-best in education and health out of all 1,318 cities in the study.

Lexington, Massachusetts

Lexington, Massachusetts, was ranked as having the best education and health in the nation in the study. The city, located 10 miles from Boston, was also ranked among the highest performers in the safety category among top-percentile cities.

Saratoga Springs, New York

Saratoga Springs was ranked as having the second-highest quality of life ranking among the top-performing cities, ranking as 40th highest nationwide

Franklin, Tennessee

Franklin's Economic Health Rank of 134 is stronger than that of more than half of the top-19 cities.

Its Safety Rank of 71 is mid-group.

Affordability (410) and Education & Health (104) place it roughly in the middle.

Holland, Michigan

Holland has the third-best Quality of Life Rank (47) in the top 19 group.

Economic Health Rank 135 is also middle-strong.

Its Education & Health Rank of 556 and Affordability Rank of 296 place it in the lower half of this cohort.

Holland's profile is defined by strong livability and weaker school metrics.

Milton, Massachusetts

Milton's Education & Health Rank of 24 is the fourth-best in the group.

Safety Rank 50 is upper-middle.

Its Quality of Life Rank of 751 is the second-worst in the entire top-19.

High academic strength paired with weak livability sets its profile.

Appleton, Wisconsin

Appleton's Quality of Life Rank of 60 ranks fourth-best among the 19 cities.

Its Economic Health Rank of 210 places it in the middle group.

Safety (263) is the fourth-weakest safety score among the top-19.

Appleton mixes strong livability with weaker safety.

Brentwood, Tennessee

Brentwood's Economic Health Rank of 99 is the sixth-best among the top 19.

Safety Rank 49 also places it in the top half.

Its Quality of Life Rank of 377 is near the median of the group.

Brentwood performs above average across categories without hitting extremes.

Leesburg, Virginia

Leesburg's Education & Health Rank of 15 is the third-best among the top 19 cities.

Its Safety Rank of 86 is mid-tier.

Affordability Rank 125 places it in the top half of the cost spectrum.

Leesburg is one of the strongest education-focused cities in the dataset.

Brookfield, Wisconsin

Brookfield's Economic Health Rank of 40 is the third-best among the top 19, behind Apex and Lehi.

Its Education & Health Rank of 39 is also top-tier.

Affordability Rank 93 is mid-high for the group.

Brookfield is one of the most consistently strong cities across categories.

Castle Rock, Colorado

Castle Rock's Economic Health Rank of 97 is the seventh-best in the group.

Its Safety Rank of 44 places it in the top third.

Quality of Life Rank 436 sits near the group midpoint.

A generally strong, balanced performer.

Lehi, Utah

Lehi's Economic Health Rank of 5 is the second-best in the top 19 and nationally.

Its Safety Rank of 10 makes it the second-safest city in this cohort.

Quality of Life Rank 890 is the third-worst in the group.

Lehi is an economic powerhouse with lifestyle trade-offs.

Noblesville, Indiana

Noblesville's Education & Health Rank of 47 is the sixth-best in the group.

Its Safety Rank of 38 places it within the top five safest cities here.

Quality of Life Rank 595 sits in the lower half.

Affordability Rank 89 is mid-pack.

Carmel, Indiana

Carmel's Education & Health Rank of 32 places it fifth-best in the group.

Safety Rank 37 places it fourth-best.

Its Affordability Rank of 32 is the third-best among the 19 cities.

Carmel is one of the most consistently strong performers in the dataset.

Kaysville, Utah

Kaysville's Safety Rank of 9 is the best in the group.

Its Economic Health Rank of 44 is the fifth-best.

Quality of Life Rank 1086 is the worst among the top 19.

Kaysville tops the group in safety, but ranks last in livability.

Fishers, Indiana

Fishers' Affordability Rank of 26 is the third-best, behind Apex and Westfield.

Its Education & Health Rank of 33 ranks seventh-best among the 19.

Quality of Life Rank 609 sits near the lower-middle of the group.

Safety is also a strength at Rank 36.

Westfield, Indiana

Westfield's Affordability Rank of 25 is the second-best among the top 19.

Its Economic Health Rank of 29 is the third-best, trailing only Apex and Lehi.

Quality of Life Rank 1048 is the second-worst.

Westfield excels economically while lagging in livability.

Apex, North Carolina

Apex's Economic Health Rank of 1 is the best in the national study and the highest among the top 19.

Its Affordability Rank of 20 is also the best in the group.

Safety Rank 146 and Education & Health Rank 244 position it in the lower-middle tier.

Apex wins on the basis of pure economic strength and cost advantages.

• An Alaska Airlines passenger tried to open a plane's door midflight, an affidavit says.
• Other passengers said they had heard the man talking to himself and moved away from him.
• After the plane landed safely, the man apologized to the crew, the affidavit said.

An Alaska Airlines flight descended into chaos as passengers restrained a man who was trying to open an emergency exit, an affidavit says.

The incident occurred on last Wednesday's Flight 87 from Deadhorse, Alaska, to Anchorage, a journey that takes about an hour and a half.

During the flight, several passengers had moved seats away from the passenger, named by police as Kassian Fredericks, after becoming concerned by his behavior.

Two men who sat behind him said they heard him talking to himself. One of them told investigators that he mentioned invisible people trying to take over the plane.

He then also took a pill and drank some Gatorade, the witness said.

The Boeing 737 had only been in the air for about eight minutes, climbing through 18,000 feet, when one of the pilots said he got the first call from the cabin crew about their concerns over a passenger's behavior.

Shortly after that, the pilot said, he saw the cockpit light indicating someone was trying to open the emergency exit.

The passenger had managed to move the door's arm upward when another passenger grabbed him.

They called for help, and another two passengers came to restrain him.

"[He] was so strong it took him and the other two male passengers to restrain him and sit him down," the affidavit says.

While it is a frightening situation, it's actually impossible to open a plane door at a high altitude, because the pressure differences inside and outside the aircraft keep the door sealed.

Fredericks is then said to have requested a cigarette, asked about how to break a plane's window, and said he wanted to call his mom.

When one of the passengers asked him why he was trying to open the door, he is said to have replied that he "needed air and to get out of here."

The pilot had considered diverting to an airfield in nearby Fairbanks, but continued onto Anchorage as they were only 18 minutes away, per the affidavit.

Local police then boarded the plane and arrested the passenger.

After landing, the affidavit says, he appeared to have calmed down as he apologized to the crew while he was being escorted away.

Fredericks was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday and charged with one count of interference with a flight crew, which carries a maximum potential sentence of 20 years.

Alaska Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Companies can use artificial intelligence to enhance brand storytelling and attract talent.
• AI analyzes brand sentiment, employee feedback, and social media to inform recruitment strategies.
• This article is part of "How AI is Changing Talent", a series exploring how AI is reshaping hiring, development, and retention.

Before applying for a position, job seekers often want to know factors beyond the role's responsibilities, like a company's values, employee experience, and growth opportunities. Like many areas of the workforce, artificial intelligence can help with this.

Brand image "sets the tone for how people view your company long before they ever interact with you," she adds. It gives job candidates "clarity, confidence, and a sense of direction" about whether an organization is a good fit.

"AI can make it easier for companies to understand how they're being perceived and where they need to improve," says Victoria Bracco, CEO of Encore Media Agency and cofounder of the Strategic Executive Alliance, a business consulting firm.

Human resources leaders also see value in AI for talent acquisition. For instance, some companies, including Unilever and L'Oreal, use AI chatbots to answer job applicants' questions and provide personalized responses based on their preferences and skills.

Beyond that, AI can help companies learn what job seekers think about them and use data-driven storytelling to attract talent, Bracco says. Here's how.

Streamlining brand sentiment analysis

Brand sentiment is composed of a range of inputs from a wide variety of sources, and AI can be a boon to consolidating, gathering, and analyzing that content.

For example, AI can mine social media, online reviews, and internal feedback to uncover what customers, the public, and current and former employees say about the company, known as a sentiment analysis, Bracco says.

AI tools can also track metrics, such as employee sentiment and retention rates, as well as social media engagement, adds Kaz Hassan, principal of community and insights at Unily, an AI intranet software.

"AI can identify patterns in what current employees say about your organization, revealing brand strengths to amplify and weaknesses to address," Hassan says. "This real-time intelligence allows companies to respond quickly to emerging issues before they become reputation problems."

Shaping a data-informed story

AI can synthesize several different data points, including brand sentiment, employee performance insights, and the skills the company currently needs. Using that information, AI can then help write job descriptions, career pages, and social media messaging that will resonate with the right candidates, Bracco says.

Organizations can also use employee data to showcase how they value their people, such as through internal upskilling, mobility rates, leadership styles, or employee check-ins, says Lana Peters, chief revenue and experience officer at Klaar, a performance management software.

AI can "shape an unbiased story," she says. That story should focus on "culture, purpose, and growth," Bracco adds.

Just make sure the story is authentic and honest; coming across as disingenuous is a turn-off, adds Polina Dimitrova, global head of people at Make, a visual development platform. "The truth is: your brand is how you hire, how you develop people, how leaders behave, and where your teams show up in the world."

Centering the human experience

By using AI to analyze employee performance, development, and engagement patterns, organizations can identify employees with compelling stories to showcase in recruitment efforts, Peters says.

This can illustrate "the employee experience you offer as a company," says Tom Moran, CEO of Addison Group, a staffing and recruiting firm.

"Real stories from real people within the organization discussing their experiences within the organization will resonate with job seekers," Hassan says.

Peters adds that, "Candidates aren't just choosing a job; they're choosing a story they want to be a part of," including companies whose values align with theirs and where they'll be recognized and appreciated.

However, AI isn't the "end-all, be-all," Dimitrova says. It should be used to optimize brands for attracting talent; it's not a substitute for a brand strategy, Bracco adds.

AI is there to "speed things up and provide insights, but the final message still needs and must have your voice, your judgment, and your direction," Bracco says. "Keep the human side front and center, because candidates can spot a forced or overly polished message a mile away."

• This post originally appeared in the Business Insider Today newsletter.
• You can sign up for Business Insider's daily newsletter here.

Palmer Luckey wants you to know he was right all along.

The outspoken billionaire and new-age god of war is making a fortune selling weapons. His reach extends beyond the range of his powerful artillery though, as he has shifted the narrative around what working in defense tech means.

Once a somewhat taboo corner of the business world, the success of Luckey's Anduril Industries, along with his no-holds-barred approach to … just about everything, has made him the poster child for tech's new love affair with the military, writes BI's Julia Hornstein.

Luckey's now on a victory lap of sorts as he shepherds the US into a new era where one of the biggest business battlefields is the literal battlefield.

Part of Luckey's appeal in tech circles might be his authenticity.

Whether you love him or hate him, the 33-year-old has stuck to his guns over the years. That's unlike most of his tech peers, who have shifted their businesses and policies to favor whichever political party is in power. (Luckey once said he wrote President Donald Trump a letter when he was 15, encouraging him to run for president.)

At times, that dedication has come at a cost. Luckey has long claimed he was fired from Meta in 2017 for supporting Trump. Meta denies he left over politics.

But these days it's all sunshine and rainbows cruise missiles and drones for Luckey.

Palmer Luckey might be the face of defense tech, but he's got plenty of competition.

First and foremost, there's more money than ever in the space thanks to the Trump administration leaning into defense spending.

The latest era of modern warfare is also creating new opportunities. The increased prominence of drones, as evident in the war in Ukraine, has given startups a chance to step up to the plate. It has created an interesting dynamic, with young, agile startups competing with traditional defense contractors.

The increased competition is largely viewed as a positive for the government, which can benefit from better pricing. The new players and cutting-edge tech are also speeding up processes.

The Navy said a Palantir-powered AI system for shipbuilding cut a 160-hour job to just 10 minutes. The Army is also enacting a "fail fast" approach to weapon development.

Moving at such speed, a staple of Silicon Valley, comes with risks when dealing with such powerful and dangerous tech. A new watchdog report said the US military needs to improve its weapons testing processes.

• I decorate the house every year for the holiday season in December.
• My garage and attic are full of boxes of Christmas stuff during the other months of the year.
• The house feels cluttered and claustrophobic, and I have vowed to take action in January.

I finally got around to putting my fake, battery-lit garlands around our front door and railings the other day.

It took a while to get it right, but I was happy with the result when I stepped into the front yard to take a look at the overall scene. I'd already placed a set of outside cushions with holiday trees on the wooden furniture out front. Then, I'd put fake wreaths on the chairs, trimming them with red bows, and building a fawn and a doe that sparkle at night.

It fell short of the beautiful house in "Home Alone," but our property was certainly noticeable from the street.

I had too many Christmas decorations

Coming back inside, I saw another pile of plastic boxes packed with even more holiday decorations in the family room. I wondered where I could put everything.

There was no more space on my window sills, shelves, or the Christmas tree. The mantelpiece was adorned with pine cones, candles, and a nutcracker figure.

It seemed like every inch of the house was covered with tinsel, snow globes, and other trinkets.

In March 2020, we moved to a larger place than our previous home, partly because we needed an extra bedroom for our new au pair from Chile.

COVID-19 struck a few days after her arrival. Things were grim, and I wanted to cheer everyone up. I wanted our guest to enjoy the Easter holiday.

I bought lots of Christmas decor for outside the house

Stores like HomeGoods weren't open, so I ordered things online, including egg and rabbit-shaped ornaments. Our au pair — and the kids, who were 12 and 10 at the time — appreciated the effort I made.

I did a similar thing for Halloween. Then Christmas came along. I purchased a couple of fake deer for the lawn. Then there was the yard sign that spelled out "Joy," and some oversize baubles to hang from the tree outside.

During the winters of 2020 to 2024, it became "my thing" to buy holiday decor. It would take me ages to bring the stuff out of storage, but I didn't mind. It was fun to decorate.

I haven't bought anything new this year, following strict instructions from my high school senior, who no longer shares my love of decorations. Still, she didn't stop me from going all out with the tchotchkes I already had.

Then, all of a sudden, I felt claustrophobic and uncomfortable. How on earth had I managed to acquire all this junk?

I thought of the new year clean-up when everything would need to be packed in boxes and stowed once again. It filled me with dread.

Some people hire professional declutterers

The feeling was enough to make me cringe. I was embarrassed by the stuff on display. It no longer seemed exciting to welcome guests when our home resembled a hoarder's.

It's too late to take the items down because I've got so much to do ahead of the holidays. I cannot face the bother of "undecorating" the house. It will have to wait until January.

Some people hire professional declutterers. But they're too expensive for my budget.

Instead, I've made a vow to spend an entire weekend sorting through my holiday decor after Christmas. I'll donate at least half to my Buy Nothing, Sell Nothing group on Facebook.

If nobody wants them, they're going in the trash. I never want my home to feel so cramped again.

• Initially, moving back in with my parents to save money felt like a step backward.
• Caring for our collection of indoor plants, which we brought with us, helped me adjust.
• I ended up connecting with my parents over the hobby, and it brought us even closer.

My husband and I never imagined we'd move back in with my parents a year after our wedding.

The choice was a practical one, and we knew it would be a temporary, six-month to one-year stint. Our goal was to save money to buy a home, and with rent prices climbing in London, pooling resources under one roof made the most sense.

Emotionally, though, it stung a bit. After renting a flat together for seven years, the move felt like a step backward: Just as we were beginning our lives as newlyweds, the independence we'd worked so hard to build had been put on hold.

Suddenly, we were moving out of our North London abode and back into my childhood home on the outskirts of the city. One small comfort we carried with us — quite literally — was our ever-growing indoor plant collection.

Taking care of the trailing vines and leafy stems helped me feel a sense of responsibility and comfort when I needed it most. The cherry on top was when it became something I could share with my parents, too.

My plants helped create a sense of routine and got me through our early days and challenges

Plants had made our flat feel like a home. So, although we sold the vast majority of our belongings and put the rest in storage, I couldn't bear to lose the greenery.

Not only were they a beautiful reminder of the life my husband and I were building, but they helped me structure my days during an awkward time.

Every morning, I'd make coffee and walk around checking up on them before sitting down at my laptop.

The slow rhythm of plant care soothed me. In those first few weeks, so many things felt out of my control: I was applying to jobs, making budgeting spreadsheets, and scouring house listings online. We were essentially figuring out what our life would look like.

Nurturing plants, however, felt grounding. Successfully caring for them didn't mean being perfect or having all the answers; all they needed from me was attention and steady consistency.

With time, as I watched them bounce back after the move, I started to recover, too.

I started sharing my passion with my mom, and we grew closer than ever

At first, the influx of plants overwhelmed my parents. "It's like living in a jungle," my dad joked early on, raising an eyebrow at a particularly large monstera and the overflowing windowsills.

Over the first few weeks, though, they came to love the plants, and caring for them became something I could share with my mom.

As she'd log on to work from home at the kitchen table, I'd make us morning coffee. While waiting for the kettle to boil, I'd inspect leaves or rotate pots for better light while we chatted.

These small, shared moments offered us a place to connect. From inconsequential chats about plant care came deeper conversations about marriage and aging, family and the future.

Without meaning to, we had created a daily ritual together, chatting vulnerably in a way we hadn't in years.

Now, we're getting ready to move into our dream home

Today, we're finally starting to look for our dream home.

We've saved enough that it finally feels within reach. And as we plan our next chapter, we know that many of our plants will come with us — but not all of them.

My dad now jokes that we have to leave some behind, or the house will feel too empty. He even bought some herb plants from the grocery store to add to the collection.

When we finally do move, along with the plants, I'll be bringing with us a newfound confidence in my own ability to find comfort and build a routine, even amid uncertainty and change.

Arguably, that's the best thing that grew during my time at home.

• Humanz, an influencer marketing platform, is going all in on M&A.
• The company raised venture capital to ink M&A deals, including two 2025 acquisitions.
• Read the pitch deck Humanz used to raise $15 million and build out its M&A strategy.

Advertising giants like Publicis, WPP, and Omnicom aren't the only companies deploying roll-up strategies and shaking up influencer marketing.

Humanz, an Israeli influencer marketing platform that expanded to the US in 2024, is going "full acquisition mode" through 2026, CEO Liran Liberman said in an interview.

The company exclusively told Business Insider that it recently raised $15 million from an undisclosed group of venture capital investors to fuel several M&A deals. In 2025, the company acquired two influencer marketing companies: Bambassadors, a user-generated content marketplace, and Ubiquitous, an influencer marketing agency.

Humanz declined to disclose its own valuation, as well as the financials of its recent acquisitions.

Liberman said that Humanz plans to ink three more deals in the first half of 2026. There are two types of deals the company is eyeing: talent acquisitions (such as targeting another company's network of creators and brands) or tech acquisitions (such as payment solutions).

"In this space, there are so many niche players," Liberman said. "Imagine a company great in influencer marketing on LinkedIn for B2B, or a tech company only doing creator payments. If I can acquire them … now we can offer more solutions."

Humanz's acquisition of Ubiquitous and Bambassadors was a strategic play to expand the company's presence in the US, Liberman said. He said that one reason Humanz sought to acquire Ubiquitous was that it's listed as a top influencer marketing company when prompting ChatGPT.

Discoverability on AI chat platforms is an increasingly important strategy for brands, leading to a prioritization of generative engine optimization (GEO), a new spin on search engine optimization (SEO).

"This was kind of our GEO investment," Liberman said.

Humanz raised $8 million from debt providers Viola Credit and Mizrahi Bank as part of its $15 million round, which will help finance its acquisitions. The company anticipates revisiting that deal and increasing it to $50 million to support further acquisitions in 2026 and 2027.

Humanz has raised a total of $32 million to date and has about 170 global employees following its recent acquisitions.

Liberman said that Humanz was profitable in 2025. But profitability isn't the company's top priority heading into 2026.

"We do want to invest a lot in growth," he said.

Read the pitch deck Humanz used to raise $15 million for M&A.

Note: Some details and slides, such as financials, have been redacted.

Humanz describes itself as an 'AI platform powering' the creator economy

It starts its deck by spelling out its mission

Then it maps out the industry and its challenges

It includes a chart estimating the size of the influencer marketing industry

It says the creator space has become 'inefficient'

Then it outlines five challenges the industry faces

Here are the five challenges it lists:

1. Discovery and negotiation
2. Management
3. Measurement and optimization
4. Creator incentives
5. Payment

The deck introduces how Humanz is delivering a solution

It says Humanz will bring creators and brands 'closer than ever before'

It then outlines what features Humanz delivers on

It identifies three key players in the influencer industry

The key players, which Humanz says it's "building trust" with and connecting, are campaign managers, creators, and talent managers.

It then goes into depth on each of the five challenges

Humanz wants to 'streamline content management'

It also says it helps key players communicate

Humanz says it helps creators, talent managers, and campaign managers align their goals

Humanz also says it helps measure and analyze performance

It then goes deeper into how it measures content

Humanz is also focused on simplifying payments

Then the deck goes into the business model

Humanz says its business model is 'sustainable' and 'scalable'

"Our revenue model, consisting of a $1,500 monthly fee and a 20% share of advertiser payments to influencers, ensures a sustainable and scalable business model," the slide says.

It lists out clients, including Meta and TikTok

Here are a few of the clients Humanz lists: Meta, TikTok, Visa, eBay, Google, Unilever, and Adidas.

Then, the deck outlines a three-year plan

Humanz is focused on growth

"Humanz is executing a bold, strategic plan to secure a dominant position in the $250B creator economy," the slide says.

Here's what else it says:

1. Through acquisitions — Beginning with Ubiquitous and Bambassadors, and three more acquisitions planned for early 2026.
2. Maintain aggressive growth — Our 250% YoY growth, supporting over 1 million creators and facilitating millions of collaborations, has already generated hundreds of millions in sales.

Humanz says 'AI will transform' the creator economy

Here's how AI is shaping the creator economy, according to the slide:

Revamped Ecosystem — As content creation becomes easier with AI tools, Humanz is poised to lead the charge by creating better platforms that empower influencers to scale their businesses and drive growth across the industry.

AI Influencers — We are close to the point where it's impossible to distinguish between a human and AI video creation. Humanz is taking proactive steps to ensure that authenticity and transparency remain at the forefront of our platform, empowering both influencers and brands to maintain trust and integrity

Humanz explains how it is using AI across its products

Finally, Humanz introduces its team

The management team is split between Israel and the US

Humanz has seven global offices

It lists offices in New York, Florida, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Israel (where its HQ is).

The deck concludes with a thank you and contact information

• The year-over-year inflation rate in November was 2.7%, much cooler than the 3.1% forecast.
• It's the first inflation report since the government shutdown. We won't have one for October.
• BLS published labor market data on Tuesday, bringing even more clarity to the previous murky data picture.

The year-over-year inflation rate slowed to 2.7% in November from September's 3%, the last month with data.

Economists expected a 3.1% rate, which would have been the highest since May 2024.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics won't be able to calculate an overall consumer price index for October 2025 because the government shutdown that lasted from October to roughly mid-November affected data collection.

Earlier this week, the BLS also published October and November job growth data, as well as last month's unemployment rate, providing more clarity to the state of the economy after a murky data picture due to delayed or canceled government data releases. This delayed report showed a mixed labor market, with better-than-expected job growth, unemployment above September's rate, and wage growth slowing.

Both reports will be helpful for the Federal Reserve's next interest rate decision. Before the CPI release, CME FedWatch showed a roughly 75% chance that the Fed would hold rates steady, after three straight cuts, and about a 25% chance of a 25-basis-point cut. The Federal Open Market Committee members, who make the federal funds rate decision, won't meet again until January 27 and January 28, so they will have even more labor market and inflation information before then to make their call.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

• Business Insider's senior pop culture writer ranked the 20 best songs of 2025.
• "David" by Lorde took the top spot, followed by "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA.
• Listen to the playlist on Business Insider's Spotify.

For much of 2025, it may have felt like music charts were devoid of hits and pop stars were slumping. But that was only true if you didn't know where to look.

Established artists like Tyler, the Creator, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, and Taylor Swift released some of the most polished songs of their careers, while breakout stars like Djo, Katseye, Role Model, and Olivia Dean rose to the challenge with catchy singles of their own.

If you're looking for names like Rosalía, Bad Bunny, Lady Gaga, or Addison Rae, you won't find them here — but don't fret. You'll find them instead on Business Insider's best albums of 2025 ranking. In keeping with my year-end tradition, to avoid excessive repetition (and to give as many artists as possible their proper due), these two lists have no overlap.

Thus, the songs featured below have been singled out for their stand-alone appeal. They're as compelling in isolation as they are within their respective tracklists, if not more so.

Keep reading to see my 20 top picks, ranked in ascending order, and listen to the complete ranking on Business Insider's Spotify.

20. "I Think I Like You Better When You're Gone" by Reneé Rapp

Reneé Rapp is one of the most technically skilled and expressive vocalists working today. No song from her sophomore album, "Bite Me," exemplifies this better than "I Think I Like You're Better When You're Gone," an R&B-inflected anthem for avoidant lovers everywhere.

If you like this, listen to: "Mad," "Why Is She Still Here?," "Shy"

19. "Cuntissimo" by Marina

"Cuntissimo," the third single from Marina's sixth album, "Princess of Power," is a welcome return to the pomp of her 2012 cult classic "Electra Heart," which satirized and subverted female archetypes ("Bubblegum Bitch," "Primadonna," "Homewrecker") to tell a story of rebellion and independence.

Thirteen years later, Marina still prefers to act up rather than settle down, and to counter patriarchy with pleasure.

In an internet era saturated with "manosphere" influencers and "trad wife" content, which often urges women to embrace homemaking and submit to their husbands, Marina's "Cuntissimo" is a much-needed dose of ostentatious girl power.

"So often, women don't think they're allowed to feel their sexuality in a way that doesn't involve how it looks for men. They feel that it's been co-opted," Marina said of the song, via Dork. "I would love to be able to free younger women of that, the feeling that our bodies don't quite belong to us."

If you like this, listen to: "Cupid's Girl," "Metallic Stallion," "I <3 You"

18. "Sugar On My Tongue" by Tyler, the Creator

Tyler, the Creator had very clear objectives with his ninth studio album, "Don't Tap the Glass" — namely, to make people ditch their phones and dance. In the album's opening track, Tyler instructs the audience, "Body movement. No sitting still."

The very next song, "Sugar On My Tongue," is Tyler's vision fulfilled. I can't imagine anyone with sturdy feet and healthy knees being able to resist that beat.

If you like this, listen to: "Big Poe (feat. Sk8brd)," "Sucka Free," "Ring Ring Ring"

17. "Basic Being Basic" by Djo

Joe Keery may star in one of Netflix's most popular shows ever (as the beloved Steve Harrington in "Stranger Things"), but if the quality of his music maintains its current trajectory, he'll be better known as a musician in no time.

This year, Keery released his third album, "The Crux," under his stage name Djo. It was led by the endearingly retro "Basic Being Basic," in which Keery makes the case for being earnest over trying to be cool.

The song toes the line between lecture and confession, while Keery's delivery alternates between monotone and falsetto. Here, as well as elsewhere in "The Crux," he's taking cues from frontmen like Matty Healy, Julian Casablancas, John McCrea, and Paul McCartney — but the result is a sound that's entirely his own.

If you like this, listen to: "Potion," "Delete Ya," "Charlie's Garden"

16. "Daisies" by Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber is back, baby. "Daisies" is the infectious highlight from "Swag," Bieber's best album in a decade, and the song of the summer that got away.

If you like this, listen to: "Yukon," "Butterflies," "Walking Away"

15. "Tears" by Sabrina Carpenter

In "Tears," the second single from Sabrina Carpenter's "Man's Best Friend," she takes a man to task — or, more accurately, modern men as a species — for how far underground the bar for seduction has sunk.

Her sarcastic fawning over the bare minimum ("A little respect for women can get you very, very far / Remembering how to use your phone gets me oh so, oh so, oh so hot!") is paired with irresistible disco-pop, making a strong case for Carpenter as Donna Summer's saucy offspring.

If you like this, listen to: "Manchild," "Nobody's Son," "House Tour"

14. "Gabriela" by Katseye

Katseye, a six-piece girl group positioned as the first global K-pop phenomenon, enjoyed a mainstream breakout moment amid the great jeans war of 2025. The group went viral for dancing to "Milkshake" by Kelis in Gap's "Better in Denim" campaign, which the company's CEO touted as a financial boon and "cultural takeover."

The ad's success on social media showcased Katseye's zeitgeisty star power, but "Gabriela" proves the group has staying power as well. The top-40 single features a cowriting credit from Charli XCX, a juicy romantic rival motif à la Dolly Parton's "Jolene," a flamenco-inspired hook, and a bridge sung entirely in Spanish — a seemingly chaotic mix of elements somehow blended to perfection. "Gabriela" is one of the year's smoothest, most indelible pop songs, destined to soundtrack Katseye's ongoing rise to stardom.

If you like this, listen to: "Gameboy," "Mean Girls," "M.I.A"

13. "Dracula" by Tame Impala

Kevin Parker's fifth album as Tame Impala, "Deadbeat," was heavily inspired by the rave scene in Western Australia, a mood neatly summarized in its third single: "Run from the sunlight, Dracula." The album's narrator thrives in the shadowy, faceless corners of a dance floor.

Shortly after its September release, "Dracula" became the first Tame Impala song ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 — a shockingly overdue achievement, but one that "Dracula" earned with its sticky hook and party-ready production. Parker even told Apple Music's Zane Lowe that he wanted "Dracula" to sound "like a Max Martin song," referencing the legendary pop producer who's churned out more hits than anyone else in this century.

If you like this, listen to: "My Old Ways," "Loser," "Obsolete"

12. "Everything Is Peaceful Love" by Bon Iver

Justin Vernon said his acclaimed fifth album as Bon Iver, "Sable, Fable," took shape on the day he wrote "Everything Is Peaceful Love," a soft-rock ballad awash in the musician's signature falsetto.

"I knew what kind of record I wanted to make the day we made 'Everything Is Peaceful Love.' I always knew that would be the feeling I wanted to share first," Vernon said in a statement. "The idea that happiness and joy are the highest form and the true buoyancy of survival, and even taking yourself less seriously could heal the world."

If that claim sounds a bit starry-eyed, the song is sincere and soothing enough to almost make you believe it. "Everything Is Peaceful Love" is the sonic equivalent of taking a warm bath; whatever's going on above water level tends to melt away mercifully, if only for a few minutes.

If you like this, listen to: "Things Behind Things Behind Things," "Walk Home," "There's a Rhythmn"

11. "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" by Role Model

It's tempting to attribute the success of "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out," a surprise hit from the deluxe version of Role Model's sophomore album, "Kansas Anymore," to a series of viral live renditions.

During early performances of the song, Role Model would invite fans onstage to play Sally during the song's chant-along bridge ("Heard through the grapevine, she can be a diva / Cold like Minnesota, hotter than a fever").

As the tradition gained traction on social media, Role Model began recruiting fellow musicians and celebrities to play the role. The prestigious list has grown to reflect his rising rank in Hollywood, featuring everyone from Olivia Rodrigo and Charli XCX to Kate Hudson and Natalie Portman.

It's the latest iteration of the special guest concert gimmick, following in the shrewd footsteps of Justin Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl" serenades, MUNA's "Silk Chiffon" cameos, and, more recently, Sabrina Carpenter's "Juno" arrests. But the truth is, a concert gimmick only catches on if the song is actually good, and "Sally" is very good. It's annoyingly charming — easy to memorize and near impossible to shake off.

It has also become a career-shifting hit for Role Model, who was largely unknown just one year ago. Now, when he gets onstage, he greets his fans with a shriek-inducing, "Hey, divas," and they eat it up every time. Through his adoring lens, who wouldn't want to be Sally?

If you like this, listen to: "Look at That Woman," "Old Recliners," "Some Protector"

10. "Where Is My Husband!" by Raye

Raye has not misfired once since becoming an independent artist in 2021. Following last year's audacious single "Genesis," her latest offering is a gorgeous blend of humor, theatrics, and intimacy.

"Where Is My Husband!" feels like gossiping with friends over cocktails, in that it understands the joy of complaining and commiserating. Raye is tired of searching for her lifelong partner, a topic that many artists might plumb for a mournful ballad — but she refuses to succumb to dating doomerism.

Instead, Raye copes by cracking jokes and keeping her eyes on the prize, transforming her exasperated yearning into playful teasing ("Wait 'til I get my hands on him, I'ma tell him off too / For how long he kept me waiting"). She may be impatient, but she's far from hopeless.

If you like this, listen to: "Suzanne"

9. "Buckle" by Florence + The Machine

"Buckle" is the soft heart of Florence + The Machine's sixth album, "Everybody Scream." The track was cowritten by Florence Welch and Mitski, two women who are renowned for unspooling uncomfortable and raw truths in their music. Naturally, their team-up yielded an exquisite piece of lyricism.

While the bulk of "Everybody Scream" leans baroque and bombastic, with "Buckle," Welch and her co-producer, Aaron Dessner, smartly strip down the production. Backed by an acoustic guitar, Welch wrestles with degradation, desire, and the addictive cycle of rejection and resolution, interrupting her own spiral with a poignant wail: "Oh god, I thought I was too old for this."

If you like this, listen to: "One of the Greats," "Perfume and Milk," "Music by Men"

8. "It's a Mirror" by Perfume Genius

"It's a Mirror" by Perfume Genius, aka Mike Hadreas, sounds confident and robust, yet lyrically, the song is fearful and fragile. The narrator is trapped inside his home and inside his mind, terrified that real life is happening somewhere else out of reach. He peers out his window, but can't bring himself to leave.

Hadreas describes this threshold as a kind of portal, a thin barrier between safety and curiosity, akin to Lewis Carroll's famous looking glass. "It's a Mirror," indeed.

"It's a soup of all the things I was thinking about the last few years, the things I ended up talking about across the album," Hadreas told Stereogum of the song. "I like when things are loud, big, but the sentiment is what some people would think of as softer, more tender. That tension is satisfying to me."

If you like this, listen to: "Me & Angel," "Full On," "Capezio"

7. "Perfectly" by FKA twigs

In between her third and fourth studio albums, "Eusexua" and "Eusexua Afterglow," FKA twigs released "Perfectly," a clubby ode to self-actualization.

Twigs gives herself — and, by extension, her listeners — free license to be messy, even a little delusional, especially if it means having more fun. "Inside my head, I have the best time," she sings, abolishing shame with a simple, elegant mantra.

If you like this, listen to: "Girl Feels Good," "Cheap Hotel," "Sushi"

6. "Elizabeth Taylor" by Taylor Swift

Even on Taylor Swift's most divisive albums, her songwriting skill can't help but shine through.

Swift is a master at pairing her personal lyrics with mass-appeal-optimized melodies. Of course, it's true that popularity and profit don't always (or even usually) correlate with high quality. But it's also true that successful pop songwriting — communicating knotty emotions and layered narratives in a way that resonates with a large number of people — is terribly difficult. Swift just makes it look easy.

"Elizabeth Taylor" is one such example from Swift's extensive catalog, and the best from "The Life of a Showgirl."

Sure, "The Fate of Ophelia" is the album's major Billboard hit and "Opalite" is favored by TikTok choreographers, but "Elizabeth Taylor" has all the glamour, friction, lust, and drama that one should expect from a self-professed showgirl — the view of Portofino, the rustle of paparazzi, the buzz of a love affair that's about to hit the front page. The song's rich visuals and snappy one-liners ("They say I'm bad news, I just say, 'Thanks') are complemented by its lavish, orchestral-pop production. And don't even get me started on the beat drop in the chorus.

Swift and her coproducers, Max Martin and Shellback, went all out for this song, leaning into the extravagance that its namesake evokes — and thank goodness they did. Nonchalance has never been Swift's forté.

If you like this, listen to: "The Fate of Ophelia," "Opalite," "Father Figure"

5. "The Subway" by Chappell Roan

Following the slow-burn success of her 2023 debut, "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess," Chappell Roan has maintained her grip on pop culture with a steady stream of singles: Last year's much-loved "Good Luck, Babe!" was followed by this year's one-two punch, "The Giver" and "The Subway."

The latter became Roan's first top-three hit on the Hot 100 and received two Grammy nominations, including record of the year. The song even sparked a tourism boom in Saskatchewan, the Canadian prairie province that Roan name-drops as her post-heartbreak contingency plan.

Each and every accolade, however wacky, is well deserved. "The Subway" is the kind of torch song that immediately sounds like a classic, at once fresh and familiar. Roan delivers each line with such passion, such palpable yearning, that every time she reaches the anthemic outro ("She's got a way, she's got a way / And she got, she got away"), no matter where I am, I'm seized by an urge to sway a lighter in the air.

If you like this, listen to: "The Giver"

4. "Relationships" by Haim

"Relationships" was the first taste of Haim's fourth album, "I Quit," which both laments and celebrates single womanhood.

This ambivalence is presented frankly in the lead single. "I think I'm in love, but I can't stand fucking relationships," Danielle, the band's lead vocalist and middle sister, repeats throughout the song.

In the outro, the qualifying phrase changes shape ("I think I'm in love, but I can't stand communicating it," "I think I'm in love, so why am I trying to escape from it?"), teasing out shades of annoyance, exhaustion, panic, and avoidance as her relationship collapses. At the root of it all, the singer is plagued by a gut feeling that something isn't quite right — that there's something that love can't overcome.

The song offers no sense of resolve or resolution, and its circular logic is mirrored in the fuzzy, funky production. I could ask myself the titular question over and over without reaching any conclusions, just as no amount of replaying this song seems to satisfy me.

If you like this, listen to: "All Over Me," "Down to Be Wrong," "Everybody's Trying to Figure Me Out"

3. "Nice To Each Other" by Olivia Dean

Olivia Dean's breezy, soulful breakthrough single serves as a balm for the rejection-filled world of modern dating.

Journalists, podcasters, and psychologists alike are tripping over each other to diagnose and cure the woes of modern courtship. This very list features a variety of reactions and coping mechanisms: Marina refuses to sacrifice her independence, Sabrina Carpenter openly mocks her suitors, and Raye opts for restless optimism.

Meanwhile, Dean has a cleaner approach: "We could be nice to each other."

Even as she's realistic about the challenges and miseries that accompany desire, and even though she doesn't want a boyfriend (a fact she proudly declares in the song's third verse), Dean is resolutely hopeful about our capacity for kindness, about the tenderness required for true human connection. Her lyrics suggest there are no road maps, no easy answers, and certainly no guarantees in matters of the heart. Still, she insists, that doesn't mean our hearts have to wither and harden.

If you like this, listen to: "Lady Lady," "So Easy (To Fall In Love)," "Man I Need"

2. "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA

Traditionally, I've been opposed to including songs from the previous year in a list like this, even if they arrived too late for last year's ranking.

I'm breaking this informal rule for "Luther," which was released on Kendrick Lamar's 2024 album "GNX," for two reasons.

The first is that "Luther" deserves to be immortalized as a defining song of 2025. After Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show, "Luther" rose to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and stayed there for 13 consecutive weeks. It's one of just 47 songs in history to secure a double-digit reign on the chart, and the fact that it reached this milestone several months after its release speaks to its enduring and timeless appeal. (In decades past, this may not have been notable. But in the streaming era, our cultural attention span is shorter than ever.)

The second reason is more important: The song is just that good. "Luther" is the crown jewel of Lamar's longtime creative synergy with SZA, and considering how their duets also include classics like "Babylon," "Doves In the Wind," and the Oscar-nominated "All the Stars," that's no easy distinction. It's the result of two living legends at the top of their game.

If you like this, listen to: "Man at the Garden," "Hey Now (feat. Dody6)," "Gloria (with SZA)"

1. "David" by Lorde

While finalizing her fourth studio album, "Virgin," Lorde repeatedly teased fans with a tagline: "After the Ecstasy, the Laundry," taken from a book about spiritual enlightenment by Jack Kornfield.

Her album's climactic closer, "David," could be summarized with the same five words. After the spilled secrets, the reckless worship, and the drug-like high of falling in love with the wrong person, Lorde returns to reality, left alone with the mess of independence. "I don't belong to anyone," she crows, apparently in triumph, though she presents a more sobering vision in the outro: "Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again? Am I ever gonna love again?"

Michelangelo's David is known for his pure, scratchless, perfect form, but Lorde inverts this image. Making art is all about chipping away at what doesn't work, finding a recognizable shape within the random chunks of material; with songs, unlike with sculptures, the artist mines her own flesh. Where the beauty of Michelangelo's David is immortal and unattainable, the beauty of Lorde's "David" is willfully human, leaving the listener with the taste of metal and salt on their tongue.

"The body that made this album bleeds and aches and sheds," Lorde told Zane Lowe. "I really tried as hard as I could to make this without shame."

If you like this, listen to: "Shapeshifter," "Favourite Daughter," "Current Affairs"

• Blackstone's holiday video has become a must-see on Wall Street.
• This year's video pays tribute to its origins with a 1980s musical number.
• The video is part of the firm's broader push to "humanize" itself as it reaches a wider audience.

Blackstone's annual holiday video — a tongue-in-cheek Wall Street tradition — is out, and this year's edition turns its trademark self-mockery toward the firm's 40th anniversary.

President Jon Gray starts the video off with a Ken Burns-style tribute to the firm's 40th anniversary, before firing the actual Ken Burns, going through a midlife crisis, and ending with a 1980s musical number.

Danny DeVito makes an appearance with a half-hearted Blackstone commercial that's apparently part of his Jersey Mike's contract.

Come for CEO Steve Schwarzman's jokes about picking up DJing as a hobby that rib Goldman Sach's head David Solomon without saying his name, and stay for a perfect Dirty Dancing lift executed by one of the firm's executives.

Gray told analyst Alex Blostein earlier this month at the Goldman Sachs Financial Analyst conference that the video is a way for the world's largest private investor to "make fun of ourselves." But the firm's video operations, from Gray's "ridiculous" running videos to its Monday morning BXTV meetings, serves a broader purpose to "humanize" the firm to its growing list of shareholders and investors: 300,000 by Gray's count.