How is America doing?
The typical American household earns $83,163, 4.3% of the labor force is unemployed, a typical home is worth $369K and rose 1.2% in the last year, and 26 of 50 states gained households from domestic migration in the latest IRS release. New Hampshire ranks first overall and Louisiana ranks last (all 50 ranked).
Which states rank highest overall?
New Hampshire leads all 50 states with a composite score of 83.4; Louisiana trails at 30.0. The Northeast averages highest of the four regions.
National readings
Each line runs from the lowest state to the highest. The mark is the US, population-weighted.
What does a home cost right now?
The typical US home is worth $369K, up 1.2% over 12 months, and the typical rent is $1,948 a month. Values rose in 39 of 50 states, and the median household earns enough to buy the typical home in only ten.
Where are Americans moving?
26 states gained households and 24 lost them in the latest IRS release. Texas added the most (56,473 net households) and California lost the most (100,397). The busiest single corridor runs from California to Texas: 44,417 households.
Want an answer for your own situation?
Compare two states
Closest matchup in the top 10: North Dakota vs Utah, 0.1 points apart.
Affordability calculator
Career wages by metro
Family Medicine Physicians earn the highest national median of the 20 tracked occupations: $224,460.
Map builder
Color all 50 states by any of 65 metrics, then export or embed the map.
Which state fits your life?
All lifestyle rankingsThree different states top the six lifestyle lists. No single state fits everyone.
What does the data say?
All stories- Cost of Living
Daycare for Two Kids Costs More Than the Mortgage in 34 States
Two kids in center-based daycare now cost more than the mortgage on the typical home in 34 of the 47 states that publish childcare prices. That's 72% of the country. The mortgage wins mainly in the pricier parts of the Mountain West, on the priciest stretch of the coasts, and in a strip of the South where daycare is still cheap.
- Rankings
What Are the Best States to Live in 2026? Top 10 Ranked
Every year, millions of Americans weigh whether to stay put or move somewhere new. We scored all 50 states across eleven categories — economy, safety, health, education, fiscal health, growth, affordability, environment, outdoor access, transportation, and livability — using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau, FBI, EPA, NPS, CDC, and NAEP.
- Cost of Living
What Are the Cheapest States to Live In 2026? Cost of Living Ranked
Housing costs eat more of the average American's paycheck than anything else. With the typical home value averaging $383,360 across the 50 states and the average cost of living index at 97, affordability has become the dominant factor for anyone considering a move. We ranked all 50 states using typical home values, BEA regional price parities, electricity and fuel prices, and center-based infant care prices.
Looking for one state or city?
Every state has its own hub with 20 tracked cities, and every city has a page comparing it to its state and the nation.
Regions, by average score
Top cities, 100,000+ residents
About this dashboard
America's Dashboard scores all 50 states and 1,312 cities on 11 categories, including economy, safety, health, education and housing, using data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the FBI, the IRS and Zillow.
What is America's Dashboard?
America's Dashboard is a data dashboard for the United States. It scores and ranks all 50 states and 1,312 cities on 11 categories, tracks home values, rents, migration and household costs, and lets you compare places or test your own budget. Every number comes from a published government or research source, and the site never sells placement in its rankings.
Where does the data come from?
State and city figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Census Bureau, the FBI, the CDC, the Tax Foundation, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the IRS and the National Center for Education Statistics. Home values and rents come from Zillow Research. Each page lists the sources behind its numbers, and the methodology page documents every metric.
How are states scored and graded?
Each raw metric is normalized to a 0 to 100 scale, then combined into 11 category scores. The composite weights economy at 15%, safety, health and education at 12% each, housing at 10%, fiscal health at 8%, growth, transportation and livability at 7% each, outdoor access at 6% and environment at 4%. Letter grades follow rank: the top five states earn an A+, and the bottom two earn an F.
How often is the data updated?
Each metric updates when its source agency publishes a new release. Zillow housing figures refresh monthly, IRS migration flows and most Census and BLS figures refresh annually, and the monthly housing report archive keeps every prior month. Nothing on the site is modeled or forecast; if a number moves, the source moved.
Which state ranks first overall right now, and which ranks last?
New Hampshire ranks first with a composite score of 83.4 out of 100, and Louisiana ranks last at 30.0. The full list, with every category score, is on the rankings page.
Can I cite or reuse these numbers?
Yes. Cite America's Dashboard with a link to the page you used, and cite the underlying agency for the raw figure. Charts and maps can be exported from the map builder, and the newsroom page explains how to credit the site and lists known limitations.
Full detail on every metric, weight and source is on the methodology page.