Best States to Live in 2026: Top 10 Ranked

The 10 best states in America (2026)

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, and America's Health Rankings.

New Hampshire takes the #1 spot with 87.8/100, followed by South Dakota (81.8) and Vermont (79.6). The gap between #1 and #10 is 14.3 points — tight enough that a single category swing could reshuffle the order.

What separates these states from the other 40? Consistent performance across the board. The #1 state scores above 60 in 5 of 11 categories. The average state manages about 3. Dominance in one area doesn't cut it — you need to be solid everywhere.

#1: New Hampshire

New Hampshire earns the top spot with a composite score of 87.8/100 and a A+ grade. The state scores above 60 in 5 of 11 categories, which is more consistency than any other state manages. Unemployment sits at 2.8%, median household income is $97,880, and the violent crime rate of 110 per 100K is well below the national average. Life expectancy: 79.2 years.

There's no glaring weakness — the lowest category is outdoor access at 43.0, still a respectable score. Housing runs $483,000 for the median home with a price-to-income ratio of 4.9x. The state is growing, too: 0.6% population increase.

#2: South Dakota

Only 6.0 points behind first place, South Dakota scores 81.8/100 with a A+ grade. The state's strongest categories are education (89.8) and affordability (84.5). Residents earn a median of $72,280 and live an average of 78.5 years. The unemployment rate of 2% keeps the economy running smoothly.

There's no glaring weakness — the lowest category is outdoor access at 45.8, still a respectable score. Housing runs $320,000 for the median home with a price-to-income ratio of 4.4x. The state is growing, too: 1% population increase.

#3: Vermont

Vermont rounds out the top three at 79.6/100. The state scores 5 categories above 60, with particular strength in health (95.9) and safety (83.3). A 2.7% unemployment rate and $74,919 median income tell the economic story. Violent crime comes in at 208 per 100K, well below the national average.

The one drag: growth, where Vermont scores just 30.2/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $388,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 5.2x. A population shift of -0.3% reflects a broader regional pattern rather than any single weakness.

#4: Utah

Utah scores 79.3/100 with strength in education (93.9) and health (91.8). The state has a 3.2% unemployment rate and a median income of $87,804. A cost of living index of 95 means your paycheck stretches further here than in most states.

The one drag: livability, where Utah scores just 22.6/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $548,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 6.2x. Population growth of 1.5% shows people are choosing to move here.

#5: Maine

Maine scores 77.3/100 with strength in safety (89.6) and health (79.6). The state has a 3.2% unemployment rate and a median income of $68,810. A cost of living index of 97 means your paycheck stretches further here than in most states.

There's no glaring weakness — the lowest category is outdoor access at 45.0, still a respectable score. Housing runs $381,000 for the median home with a price-to-income ratio of 5.5x. Stable population growth of 0.5%.

#6: Minnesota

Minnesota scores 76.7/100 with strength in health (89.8) and education (87.8). The state has a 3.4% unemployment rate and a median income of $85,551. A cost of living index of 98 means your paycheck stretches further here than in most states.

The one drag: outdoor access, where Minnesota scores just 30.7/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $354,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 4.1x. Population growth of 0.6% shows people are choosing to move here.

#7: North Dakota

At 76.6/100, North Dakota holds its position in the top 10 with affordability (84.7) as its strongest category. The median household income of $72,583 pairs with a 2.2% unemployment rate. The violent crime rate runs 267 per 100K — below the national average.

The one drag: environment, where North Dakota scores just 38.5/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $281,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 3.9x. Population growth of 0.8% shows people are choosing to move here.

#8: Nebraska

At 74.9/100, Nebraska holds its position in the top 10 with education (83.7) as its strongest category. The median household income of $73,423 pairs with a 2.8% unemployment rate. The violent crime rate runs 290 per 100K — below the national average.

The one drag: outdoor access, where Nebraska scores just 22.0/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $289,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 3.9x. Population growth of 0.7% shows people are choosing to move here.

#9: Virginia

At 74.9/100, Virginia holds its position in the top 10 with education (81.6) as its strongest category. The median household income of $87,106 pairs with a 2.9% unemployment rate. The violent crime rate runs 201 per 100K — well below the national average.

The one drag: outdoor access, where Virginia scores just 20.1/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $444,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 5.1x. Population growth of 0.8% shows people are choosing to move here.

#10: Connecticut

At 73.5/100, Connecticut holds its position in the top 10 with education (98.0) as its strongest category. The median household income of $93,228 pairs with a 4.2% unemployment rate. The violent crime rate runs 136 per 100K — well below the national average.

The one drag: outdoor access, where Connecticut scores just 23.8/100. That pulls the composite down, but it's not enough to offset strength across the other ten categories. Median home prices sit at $415,000 with a price-to-income ratio of 4.5x. Population growth of 0.8% shows people are choosing to move here.

What the top states share

The top 10 as a group tells an interesting story. Average unemployment: 2.9%, versus the national 3.8%. Median income: $81,358, compared to the national $74,753. Violent crime: 213 per 100K, versus the national 350. These aren't subtle differences.

Economic opportunity carries the most weight in our formula at 15%. Safety (12%), health (12%), and education (12%) follow. States that invest in public health and education tend to build compounding advantages — better schools attract educated workers, who earn more, who pay more taxes, which funds better schools. The cycle works.

Regionally, 1 of the top 10 are Western states, 4 are Northeastern, 4 are Midwestern, and 1 are Southern. The Midwest shows remarkable consistency — fewer states at the extremes, but solid middle-of-the-pack performance.

Just outside the top 10

Massachusetts (#11, 72.8), Montana (#12, 71.1), Idaho (#13, 70.7), Rhode Island (#14, 69.8), Iowa (#15, 69.5) fill out the 11-15 range. The margin between #10 and #15 is just 4.0 points — one data update could push any of these states into the top tier.

What typically keeps states in this range from breaking through is one or two weak categories dragging down an otherwise strong profile. Massachusetts scores 26.0 in affordability — address that weakness and it's a top-10 state.

The bottom 5 and what's holding them back

At the other end of the table: Louisiana (25.9), Arkansas (30.9), Mississippi (31.5), New Mexico (33.1), West Virginia (34.4). These states face compounding challenges — low scores in safety and health tend to correlate with weaker economies and lower educational attainment. Breaking that cycle takes sustained investment over years.

Louisiana scores 25.9/100. The biggest drags: health (0.0) and outdoor access (10.3). But every state has strengths, and Louisiana scores 90.8 in affordability, which puts it in the upper half nationally for that category.

Arkansas scores 30.9/100. The biggest drags: health (2.0) and education (14.3). But every state has strengths, and Arkansas scores 92.6 in affordability, which puts it in the upper half nationally for that category.

Mississippi scores 31.5/100. The biggest drags: education (4.1) and health (6.1). But every state has strengths, and Mississippi scores 93.9 in affordability, which puts it in the upper half nationally for that category.

New Mexico scores 33.1/100. The biggest drags: safety (7.7) and education (12.2). But every state has strengths, and New Mexico scores 79.5 in affordability, which puts it in the upper half nationally for that category.

West Virginia scores 34.4/100. The biggest drags: health (4.1) and education (6.1). But every state has strengths, and West Virginia scores 87.2 in affordability, which puts it in the upper half nationally for that category.

How the rankings work

Every raw metric is normalized to a 0-100 scale using linear interpolation across all 50 states. Metrics where lower is better (crime, unemployment, etc.) are inverted. Category scores are weighted averages of their component metrics, and the composite is a weighted average of all 11 categories.

The weights: economy (15%), safety (12%), health (12%), education (12%), affordability (10%), fiscal health (8%), growth (7%), transportation (7%), livability (7%), outdoor access (6%), environment (4%). These balance economic factors against quality-of-life indicators. All source data comes from federal agencies — BLS, Census, FBI, EPA, NPS — and is updated annually.