Best and worst states to live in

jayem · Nov 11, 2019

From the 24/7 Wall Street website. States were ranked with a version of the UN's Human Development Index. 3 criteria were used: Percentage of residents below the US poverty level; percentage of adults with bachelor's degrees; and life expectancy at birth. Other data, like population growth, and unemployment rate are also listed for each state. Cost of living--which is pretty important--isn't considered.

Here's the methodology: https://247wallst.com/special-report/2019/methodoldogy

The top 10:
1. Massachusetts
2. Colorado
3. New Jersey
4. Hawaii
5. Connecticut
6. Minnesota
7. Maryland
8. New Hampshire
9. Washington
10. Virginia

The bottom 10:
41. South Carolina
42. Tennessee
43. New Mexico
44. Oklahoma
45. Alabama
46. Kentucky
47. Arkansas
48. Louisiana
49. West Virginia
50. Mississippi

Missouri, where I live, is #37. We're below average in everything. (But cost of living is cheap.) I'm kinda surprised New Jersey ranks so high. I've only driven through the state. It has some of cheapest gas prices in the northeast. But you can't pump your own gas. Only place I know where gas station attendants still man the pumps.

Here's the full list: Best and Worst States to Live In

B8t6 · Nov 11, 2019

A lukewarm state is tho worst to live in

Brightmoon · Nov 11, 2019

I rather like being a New Yorker number 13. That’s someone who lives in NYC. Everyone else in the state is either an Long Islander or lives upstate. It is expensive though! But the cultural ferment is great. Calling the city helpline gets you advice in 170+ languages!

Jonaitis · Nov 11, 2019

YES, my state is not listed...

I really hope people will continue to think we don't exist...keeps outsiders out.

Sketcher · Nov 11, 2019

With what I've heard about housing costs in the Boston area, that seems to wipe out the higher income that is being cited here.

Lost4words · Nov 11, 2019

Worst state to live in is a 'drunken state'

Scholastica · Nov 11, 2019

California: 14th place.

I swear, we never, ever get any higher. How did New Jersey beat us!?

Anyway, aside from rising housing costs and the alarming tendency for the state to set itself on fire, I am happy to be a Californian. There's a little bit of everything for everyone here, from beaches to deserts to mountains, from Mexican food to Korean BBQ, bustling cities to quiet rural communities, your brilliant scientist aunt to your dumb cousin who just really wants to direct a movie, giant Harvest Crusades and local Harvest Festivals.

I stopped at an In-n-out Burger and heard people taking in English, Spanish, Korean, and Norwegian. I can travel the world just by getting lunch.

Pavel Mosko · Nov 11, 2019

I kind of wonder on the methodology. I left California to move to North Carolina, and about to leave NC most likely for Pennsylvania. Anyway lots of things have affected my native California since I moved liked massive wildfires that not only threaten property but make horrible air quality (worse than Beijing at times), power black outs, and out of control homelessness with related problems like drugs use, etc. Anyway these sort of things really impact the people that have to deal with them but often get registered or if they do its very tangential but I think California should be much farther down on the list than it is.

durangodawood · Nov 11, 2019

#2 state here.

I dont know what theyre talking about. Its totally miserable here. Everybody who comes here hates it... especially the mountains. Yuck... mountains!

Silverback · Nov 11, 2019

jayem said:
From the 24/7 Wall Street website. States were ranked with a version of the UN's Human Development Index. 3 criteria were used: Percentage of residents below the US poverty level; percentage of adults with bachelor's degrees; and life expectancy at birth. Other data, like population growth, and unemployment rate are also listed for each state. Cost of living--which is pretty important--isn't considered.

Here's the methodology: https://247wallst.com/special-report/2019/methodoldogy

The top 10:
1. Massachusetts
2. Colorado
3. New Jersey
4. Hawaii
5. Connecticut
6. Minnesota
7. Maryland
8. New Hampshire
9. Washington
10. Virginia

The bottom 10:
41. South Carolina
42. Tennessee
43. New Mexico
44. Oklahoma
45. Alabama
46. Kentucky
47. Arkansas
48. Louisiana
49. West Virginia
50. Mississippi

Missouri, where I live, is #37. We're below average in everything. (But cost of living is cheap.) I'm kinda surprised New Jersey ranks so high. I've only driven through the state. It has some of cheapest gas prices in the northeast. But you can't pump your own gas. Only place I know where gas station attendants still man the pumps.

Here's the full list: Best and Worst States to Live In

Michigan, where I grew up is #36 on the list, I would have thought in the bottom five, but #36 is still pretty bad.

the issue with Michigan's economy is that you have to want to go to Michigan, to go to Michigan, it's surrounded by water on three sides, both the Upper and Lower Peninsula.

Which means anything Michigan produces has higher transportation cost, so, it's cheaper to buy elsewhere.

Florida though, has I-10 that cuts across the Panhandle, and Florida has many international shipping ports...and No winter to slow things down.

Great Lakes sh ipping is not what it use to be, it's ports are somewhat antiquated, and transit through locks is required, all this drives up transportation cost as well, as we all know time is money.

Ricky M · Nov 11, 2019

Born and raised in California, I can't wait to leave it and never come back. Overcrowding, traffic, attitudes, politics... it's gone insane. Minnesota, it's cold and full of bugs, but you'll never meet nicer, more accommodating people anywhere.

grasping the after wind · Nov 11, 2019

jayem said:
From the 24/7 Wall Street website. States were ranked with a version of the UN's Human Development Index. 3 criteria were used: Percentage of residents below the US poverty level; percentage of adults with bachelor's degrees; and life expectancy at birth. Other data, like population growth, and unemployment rate are also listed for each state. Cost of living--which is pretty important--isn't considered.

Here's the methodology: https://247wallst.com/special-report/2019/methodoldogy

The top 10:
1. Massachusetts
2. Colorado
3. New Jersey
4. Hawaii
5. Connecticut
6. Minnesota
7. Maryland
8. New Hampshire
9. Washington
10. Virginia

The bottom 10:
41. South Carolina
42. Tennessee
43. New Mexico
44. Oklahoma
45. Alabama
46. Kentucky
47. Arkansas
48. Louisiana
49. West Virginia
50. Mississippi

Missouri, where I live, is #37. We're below average in everything. (But cost of living is cheap.) I'm kinda surprised New Jersey ranks so high. I've only driven through the state. It has some of cheapest gas prices in the northeast. But you can't pump your own gas. Only place I know where gas station attendants still man the pumps.

Here's the full list: Best and Worst States to Live In

Rather subjective criterion isn't it? How about best views of mountains, Least intrusive government, smallest income gap, least traffic , shortest commute to work etc., etc., For the life of me I do not see how the amount of people in a state that have bachelor's degrees in any way effects how good or bad a place it is to live in. I seriously doubt if you filled a state only with people that had bachelor's degrees it would change its livability to any degree. These kind of lists are simply garbage. What I like in a state and what someone else likes will be totally different. My cousin left New York for Florida because she hates snow and cold and loves the beach. If I never set foot on a beach again it would not bother me at all and I have no problem with cold. People leave states for various reasons and go to other states for various reasons.

durangodawood · Nov 11, 2019

grasping the after wind said:
Rather subjective criterion isn't it? How about best views of mountains, Least intrusive government, smallest income gap, least traffic , shortest commute to work etc., etc., For the life of me I do not see how the amount of people in a state that have bachelor's degrees in any way effects how good or bad a place it is to live in. I seriously doubt if you filled a state only with people that had bachelor's degrees it would change its livability to any degree. These kind of lists are simply garbage. What I like in a state and what someone else likes will be totally different. My cousin left New York for Florida because she hates snow and cold and loves the beach. If I never set foot on a beach again it would not bother me at all and I have no problem with cold. People leave states for various reasons and go to other states for various reasons.

Education level is pretty important. It usually indicates civility, prosperity, health, liberty. So many good things!

Go Braves · Nov 11, 2019

Lol, it could be summed up as saying the worst states are basically just the South. I can agree on that, as a Southerner. I will say the best food in all of America is right here. Probably why Southern states have some of the highest rates of obesity. Alright well you don't have to move here but when you visit bring some pants a size up so you can enjoy all that's offered.

Silverback · Nov 11, 2019

Ricky M said:
Born and raised in California, I can't wait to leave it and never come back. Overcrowding, traffic, attitudes, politics... it's gone insane. Minnesota, it's cold and full of bugs, but you'll never meet nicer, more accommodating people anywhere.

Lousiana...If your Cajun

MehGuy · Nov 11, 2019

Thought Minnesota would be higher. Maybe we were knocked down a few pegs due to our horrendous weather, lol.

Scholastica · Nov 11, 2019

You just need hire a better PR agent.

"It's not a blizzard, it's a winter wonderland!"

jayem · Nov 11, 2019

durangodawood said:
#2 state here.

I dont know what theyre talking about. Its totally miserable here. Everybody who comes here hates it... especially the mountains. Yuck... mountains!

With that thick cloud of blue smoke over the state, I doubt anyone notices the mountains. As long as you've got plenty of snacks for the munchies, it's all good. :oldthumbsup:

durangodawood · Nov 12, 2019

jayem said:
With that thick cloud of blue smoke over the state, I doubt anyone notices the mountains. As long as you've got plenty of snacks for the munchies, it's all good.

Oh yeah. Another thing people cant stand about this state.... :oldthumbsup:

iluvatar5150 · Nov 29, 2019

Sketcher said:
With what I've heard about housing costs in the Boston area, that seems to wipe out the higher income that is being cited here.

Housing costs are higher, but not $18k/yr higher in most cases. And public transportation is pretty decent in the city and some surrounding suburbs. But Boston isn’t all of Massachusetts. You don’t have to go far outside the city to find stuff that’s more reasonable.

Best and worst states to live in

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