By Adam McCann, WalletHub Financial Writer
Deciding on a place to call home can be a tough process. You’ll need to balance things like the cost of living with job opportunities, quality of education and safety. Personal preference also comes into the equation, as you’ll want to live somewhere with the types of attractions, recreational opportunities and weather that suit you. Luckily, there’s 50 states to choose from, from frigid Alaska to sunny Florida. Each has its own benefits and drawbacks.
If you do the math, some states clearly outshine others in various categories. To find out the best states to live in, WalletHub compared the 50 states based on 51 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs and income growth to the education rate and quality of hospitals.
Top 5 States to Live In
- Massachusetts
- Idaho
- New Jersey
- Wisconsin
- Minnesota
Top States to Live in
| Overall Rank | State | Total Score | Affordability Rank | Economy Rank | Education & Health Rank | Quality of Life Rank | Safety Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | 60.23 | 44 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | Idaho | 60.19 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 24 | 4 |
| 3 | New Jersey | 59.81 | 48 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 59.66 | 30 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 8 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 58.69 | 14 | 29 | 5 | 10 | 19 |
| 6 | Florida | 58.51 | 32 | 11 | 26 | 4 | 12 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 58.21 | 40 | 3 | 7 | 36 | 3 |
| 8 | Utah | 57.94 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 29 | 23 |
| 9 | New York | 57.94 | 47 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 7 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 57.90 | 29 | 35 | 17 | 5 | 11 |
| 11 | Wyoming | 57.90 | 13 | 22 | 30 | 38 | 2 |
| 12 | Iowa | 56.23 | 22 | 30 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
| 13 | Maine | 56.21 | 35 | 8 | 11 | 26 | 10 |
| 14 | Virginia | 56.18 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 18 |
| 15 | Montana | 55.21 | 27 | 2 | 12 | 33 | 37 |
| 16 | North Dakota | 54.63 | 31 | 5 | 18 | 37 | 27 |
| 17 | Illinois | 54.60 | 37 | 47 | 25 | 3 | 9 |
| 18 | South Dakota | 54.12 | 21 | 6 | 34 | 41 | 16 |
| 19 | Colorado | 53.58 | 28 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 47 |
| 20 | Nebraska | 52.89 | 33 | 28 | 13 | 27 | 29 |
| 21 | Vermont | 52.71 | 42 | 1 | 8 | 45 | 31 |
| 22 | North Carolina | 52.32 | 17 | 16 | 35 | 16 | 35 |
| 23 | Kansas | 52.20 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 18 | 32 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 52.09 | 46 | 36 | 4 | 23 | 13 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | 52.05 | 45 | 14 | 22 | 44 | 5 |
| 26 | Ohio | 51.61 | 23 | 45 | 29 | 15 | 22 |
| 27 | Georgia | 51.59 | 18 | 24 | 41 | 19 | 21 |
| 28 | Missouri | 51.23 | 4 | 21 | 37 | 28 | 36 |
| 29 | Indiana | 51.17 | 3 | 48 | 33 | 20 | 24 |
| 30 | Michigan | 51.07 | 12 | 46 | 31 | 13 | 33 |
| 30 | Arizona | 51.01 | 24 | 18 | 32 | 25 | 34 |
| 32 | California | 50.49 | 50 | 20 | 23 | 2 | 42 |
| 33 | Delaware | 50.03 | 19 | 34 | 28 | 47 | 28 |
| 34 | Maryland | 49.79 | 38 | 37 | 19 | 31 | 30 |
| 35 | Hawaii | 49.38 | 49 | 13 | 10 | 42 | 26 |
| 36 | Washington | 49.17 | 36 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 50 |
| 37 | Kentucky | 47.53 | 10 | 49 | 38 | 46 | 20 |
| 38 | Texas | 47.21 | 34 | 40 | 40 | 9 | 38 |
| 39 | Oregon | 47.20 | 41 | 31 | 24 | 14 | 48 |
| 40 | Tennessee | 47.02 | 7 | 26 | 43 | 35 | 43 |
| 41 | Alabama | 47.01 | 1 | 42 | 46 | 39 | 25 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 47.00 | 2 | 38 | 47 | 43 | 17 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | 46.34 | 16 | 32 | 44 | 32 | 39 |
| 44 | South Carolina | 45.65 | 9 | 39 | 42 | 34 | 46 |
| 45 | Nevada | 44.61 | 39 | 44 | 39 | 22 | 41 |
| 46 | Alaska | 44.17 | 43 | 4 | 36 | 50 | 44 |
| 47 | Mississippi | 43.53 | 8 | 43 | 50 | 49 | 14 |
| 48 | Arkansas | 42.07 | 5 | 41 | 45 | 48 | 45 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 40.57 | 20 | 50 | 49 | 40 | 40 |
| 50 | New Mexico | 39.68 | 25 | 33 | 48 | 30 | 49 |
Methodology
In order to determine the best and worst states to live in, WalletHub compared the 50 states across five key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Economy, 3) Education & Health, 4) Quality of Life, and 5) Safety.
We evaluated those dimensions using 51 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable living conditions. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across states.
Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.
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