Rank 1
New Hampshire
#1 | 78.9/100
COL 106.5Jobs +1.8%Health #9Education #2
2026 edition | Best-states scenario comparison
Best States to Live In | 2026 Scenario
Under OCity's published quality-of-life scenario, New Hampshire has the highest modeled score in this edition at 78.9, followed by Connecticut (74.7) and Minnesota (74.1). The 10-factor model covers affordability, jobs, safety, healthcare, education and climate comfort; changing priorities can change which state fits best.
Read this first: 2026 is the edition and review year. Inputs are mixed-vintage reference estimates, not measurements all collected in 2026. Source years and limitations are disclosed below.
Rank 2
Connecticut
#2 | 74.7/100
COL 111.1Jobs +1.8%Health #4Education #5
Rank 3
Minnesota
#3 | 74.1/100
COL 99.1Jobs +2.1%Health #5Education #7
All 50 state rows
Search, sort, then select a row for details.
| State | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #178.9 | New Hampshire NH | 106.5 | 6.5% | $83,449 | +1.8% | 146 | #9 | #2 |
| #274.7 | Connecticut CT | 111.1 | 12.8% | $83,771 | +1.8% | 184 | #4 | #5 |
| #374.1 | Minnesota MN | 99.1 | 10.2% | $77,706 | +2.1% | 263 | #5 | #7 |
| #474.0 | New Jersey NJ | 115.2 | 13.2% | $89,296 | +2.2% | 208 | #6 | #4 |
| #573.4 | Massachusetts MA | 131.6 | 10.5% | $89,645 | +2.4% | 308 | #2 | #1 |
| #671.5 | Nebraska NE | 92.5 | 10% | $66,644 | +1.8% | 271 | #12 | #8 |
| #771.4 | Maryland MD | 118.2 | 10.6% | $90,203 | +2.1% | 440 | #8 | #3 |
| #870.5 | Utah UT | 101.5 | 8.6% | $75,780 | +4.5% | 262 | #11 | #36 |
| #970.1 | Iowa IA | 90.1 | 9.2% | $65,429 | +1.5% | 266 | #14 | #9 |
| #1069.3 | Colorado CO | 105.4 | 9.3% | $80,184 | +3.2% | 423 | #13 | #17 |
| #1169.3 | Rhode Island RI | 107.9 | 10.8% | $74,489 | +1.4% | 182 | #15 | #6 |
| #1269.3 | Maine ME | 99.4 | 10.3% | $63,182 | +1.2% | 112 | #10 | #11 |
| #1366.5 | Idaho ID | 96.8 | 8.5% | $62,616 | +4.2% | 242 | #22 | #27 |
| #1466.2 | Florida FL | 102.8 | 6.5% | $63,062 | +4.1% | 378 | #25 | #23 |
| #1565.5 | Virginia VA | 103.7 | 9.3% | $80,963 | +2.5% | 208 | #24 | #32 |
| #1664.4 | Pennsylvania PA | 96.7 | 10.2% | $68,957 | +1.5% | 306 | #23 | #10 |
| #1764.0 | Oregon OR | 110.2 | 10.1% | $71,562 | +2.5% | 291 | #16 | #20 |
| #1863.4 | North Dakota ND | 98.5 | 7.8% | $68,131 | +1.2% | 285 | #21 | #18 |
| #1962.9 | Kansas KS | 89.7 | 9.4% | $64,521 | +1.8% | 393 | #26 | #16 |
| #2062.7 | Georgia GA | 93.4 | 9.1% | $65,030 | +3.5% | 329 | #35 | #24 |
| #2162.3 | Delaware DE | 103.4 | 10.2% | $72,724 | +1.4% | 423 | #19 | #14 |
| #2261.3 | Hawaii HI | 192.9 | 12.2% | $83,173 | +1.5% | 255 | #1 | #15 |
| #2361.1 | Vermont VT | 103.8 | 10.4% | $67,674 | +1% | 173 | #17 | #30 |
| #2461.0 | Illinois IL | 96.4 | 12.9% | $72,205 | +1.2% | 426 | #18 | #13 |
| #2560.7 | New York NY | 139.1 | 15.9% | $74,314 | +1.8% | 363 | #3 | #12 |
| #2659.8 | North Carolina NC | 95.4 | 9.1% | $62,891 | +3.4% | 377 | #31 | #29 |
| #2759.4 | California CA | 151.7 | 12.7% | $84,097 | +2.4% | 442 | #7 | #21 |
| #2858.7 | South Dakota SD | 96.9 | 6.4% | $63,920 | +2% | 422 | #20 | #31 |
| #2958.6 | Texas TX | 93.9 | 8% | $66,963 | +3.8% | 411 | #37 | #33 |
| #3058.3 | Ohio OH | 89.4 | 9.4% | $61,543 | +1.4% | 299 | #34 | #19 |
| #3157.4 | Montana MT | 101.3 | 7.5% | $60,560 | +2.5% | 436 | #29 | #22 |
| #3256.9 | Indiana IN | 90.6 | 9.6% | $61,944 | +2.3% | 357 | #36 | #25 |
| #3355.8 | Washington WA | 110.7 | 8.3% | $82,400 | +2.8% | 370 | #30 | #37 |
| #3455.2 | Arizona AZ | 102.2 | 8.7% | $65,913 | +3.8% | 474 | #28 | #43 |
| #3553.7 | Missouri MO | 89.8 | 9.3% | $60,905 | +1.6% | 501 | #33 | #26 |
| #3653.6 | Michigan MI | 91.5 | 8.6% | $63,202 | +1.5% | 428 | #32 | #28 |
| #3752.2 | Nevada NV | 104.5 | 7.6% | $65,686 | +3.5% | 460 | #38 | #38 |
| #3852.0 | Kentucky KY | 89.9 | 9.5% | $55,573 | +1.4% | 210 | #44 | #35 |
| #3951.5 | Tennessee TN | 91.4 | 5.7% | $59,695 | +3.1% | 596 | #41 | #34 |
| #4051.1 | Wisconsin WI | 93.4 | 10.4% | $67,080 | +1.6% | 297 | #40 | #39 |
| #4150.4 | South Carolina SC | 94.2 | 8.1% | $58,234 | +3.2% | 511 | #42 | #40 |
| #4250.0 | Wyoming WY | 95.5 | 5.5% | $65,003 | +1.2% | 214 | #43 | #50 |
| #4347.3 | Oklahoma OK | 87 | 8.8% | $55,826 | +2.2% | 433 | #47 | #44 |
| #4445.7 | Alabama AL | 88.3 | 9.1% | $54,943 | +2.1% | 453 | #46 | #48 |
| #4543.9 | Mississippi MS | 83.3 | 8.6% | $48,716 | +0.9% | 291 | #50 | #49 |
| #4643.0 | West Virginia WV | 84.1 | 9.5% | $48,850 | +0.5% | 315 | #45 | #46 |
| #4742.3 | Arkansas AR | 86.9 | 9.8% | $52,528 | +1.5% | 579 | #48 | #41 |
| #4840.0 | New Mexico NM | 91.8 | 8.4% | $53,992 | +1.8% | 778 | #39 | #45 |
| #4939.8 | Alaska AK | 127.1 | 5.4% | $77,790 | +1.2% | 837 | #27 | #42 |
| #5036.7 | Louisiana LA | 91.3 | 8.9% | $52,087 | +0.8% | 639 | #49 | #47 |
Violent crime is shown per 100,000 residents. Cost index 100 represents the reference national average. Tax burden is an estimate, not a statutory tax rate.
State leaders by included field
Most affordable
- Mississippi
- West Virginia
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Alabama
Strongest job growth
- Utah
- Idaho
- Florida
- Texas
- Arizona
Lowest violent crime
- Maine
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut
Lowest healthcare rank
- Hawaii
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Connecticut
- Minnesota
How the OCity composite works
Each metric is min-max normalized across the 50 states. Lower values score better for cost, home price, tax burden, unemployment, violent crime, healthcare rank and education rank. Higher values score better for income, job growth and climate comfort. Scores are rounded only for display; ties are broken alphabetically.
15%Cost of living
5%Home affordability
5%Tax burden
10%Median income
7%Job growth
3%Unemployment
15%Safety
15%Healthcare
15%Education
10%Climate comfort
Sources and data vintage
Population2020 Census baselineIncomeACS reference estimatesLabor marketBLS LAUS/CES reference estimatesViolent crimeFBI UCR/CDE reference ratesCost, housing, taxCompiled reference estimates; verify locallyHealth and educationComparative ranks; lower is better
Limitations. This composite combines datasets with different observation periods and methodologies. Housing and tax estimates can change quickly; statewide averages hide large local differences. The climate score is an OCity preference score, not a published government statistical series. Use the table to build a shortlist, then verify current local data before moving.
Methodology and dataset reviewed July 10, 2026.
Best states to live in: how to read this comparison
What is the best state to live in?
In this edition, New Hampshire has the highest modeled score, followed by Connecticut and Minnesota. That result depends on the published weights and included reference fields; it is not an official universal quality-of-life verdict.
How is quality of life modeled?
The scenario combines affordability, home price, tax burden, income, jobs, unemployment, safety, healthcare, education and climate comfort. Each weight, direction and source limitation is shown on this page.
Need a side-by-side decision? Open the curated state comparison guides. Need city-level state coverage instead? Browse the US state and city guide directory.