Top 50 States Ranked Best to Worst: The Ultimate Guide [2023 Edition]

This is your ultimate guide to the Top 50 States Ranked Best to Worst in 2023!

We have carefully ranked all 50 states from 1 to 50, according to the averages of the following 8 criteria (in order):

• #1. Home values

• #2. Overall affordability

• #3. Unemployment rate

• #4. Strength of economy

• #5. Quality of life

• #6. Climate & weather

• #7. Quality of education

• #8. Safety & crime rates

Okay, let’s explore the 50 best states to live and work in this year!

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• 10 Cheapest States to Buy Land Right Now [2023]

Key Findings of Our Research:

• Virginia is the #1 best state to live in right now (ranked #1/50)

• Alaska is the worst state to live in (ranked #50/50)

• West Virginia is the cheapest state to live in (ranked #1/50)

• Hawaii is the most expensive state to live in (ranked #50/50)

• New York is the best state for overall quality of life (ranked #1/50)

• Alaska is the worst state for overall quality of life (ranked #50/50)

List of All 50 States Ranked Best to Worst [2023]

Here’s a list of the best and worst states to live in right now:

1. Virginia
2. Florida
3. Iowa
4. Massachusetts
5. Wisconsin
6. Kansas
7. New Hampshire
8. Idaho
9. Utah
10. Maine
11. Minnesota
12. Missouri
13. North Dakota
14. Georgia
15. Vermont
16. Nebraska
17. Alabama
18. Pennsylvania
19. Indiana
20. South Dakota
21. Maryland
22. Montana
23. West Virginia
24. North Carolina
25. Michigan
26. Wyoming
27. Arkansas
28. Oklahoma
29. Ohio
30. Tennessee
31. Colorado
32. New Jersey
33. Mississippi
34. Hawaii
35. South Carolina
36. Washington
37. Illinois
38. Arizona
39. Texas
40. Kentucky
41. Connecticut
42. California
43. New York
44. Rhode Island
45. Oregon
46. Louisiana
47. Delaware
48. New Mexico
49. Nevada
50. Alaska

Top 50 States Ranked Best to Worst Right Now:

Here’s a detailed analysis of the Top 50 States Ranked Best to Worst 2023.

*Note: The lower the value the better for each category.

Overall Rank	State	Home Values	Overall Affordability	Unemployment Rate	Strength of Economy	Quality of Life	Climate & Weather	Quality of Education	Safety & Crime Rates
1	Virginia	30	16	10	22	19	17	14	8
2	Florida	33	33	15	14	5	2	17	20
3	Iowa	7	20	15	27	16	37	11	18
4	Massachusetts	48	44	10	11	6	36	1	2
5	Wisconsin	19	32	13	24	14	42	8	12
6	Kansas	8	25	15	19	22	19	27	33
7	New Hampshire	42	40	1	2	37	43	2	1
8	Idaho	39	13	20	7	23	39	26	4
9	Utah	45	6	8	8	27	32	6	39
10	Maine	32	35	8	9	28	47	13	3
11	Minnesota	26	11	24	21	8	48	9	29
12	Missouri	13	4	15	29	25	18	34	41
13	North Dakota	14	29	5	1	36	49	15	30
14	Georgia	24	17	29	20	18	8	40	26
15	Vermont	34	43	2	4	45	45	3	6
16	Nebraska	16	31	5	26	32	30	20	23
17	Alabama	10	1	7	41	41	7	46	33
18	Pennsylvania	17	30	36	35	3	31	22	17
19	Indiana	11	3	30	42	30	25	30	21
20	South Dakota	21	22	4	6	40	41	31	27
21	Maryland	35	38	2	36	34	20	18	16
22	Montana	40	27	10	3	29	44	16	31
23	West Virginia	1	2	33	45	43	22	45	9
24	North Carolina	25	18	30	31	17	13	32	35
25	Michigan	12	14	37	46	12	38	33	11
26	Wyoming	27	10	24	17	39	46	28	14
27	Arkansas	4	5	13	39	48	12	43	46
28	Oklahoma	3	15	15	37	35	11	49	45
29	Ohio	9	23	30	49	15	28	37	22
30	Tennessee	23	8	27	30	33	14	36	43
31	Colorado	46	28	23	10	10	40	10	48
32	New Jersey	43	48	44	33	11	24	7	5
33	Mississippi	2	7	24	50	49	6	50	28
34	Hawaii	50	49	20	13	42	1	4	38
35	South Carolina	18	12	27	34	26	9	44	47
36	Washington	47	37	37	5	7	29	12	44
37	Illinois	15	36	46	48	4	26	29	15
38	Arizona	37	24	37	16	24	4	41	37
39	Texas	22	34	47	32	9	5	38	36
40	Kentucky	6	9	42	44	46	16	42	19
41	Connecticut	31	45	37	43	20	34	5	13
42	California	49	50	49	12	2	10	25	32
43	New York	41	47	44	28	1	35	23	10
44	Rhode Island	38	46	20	23	44	33	19	7
45	Oregon	44	41	33	15	13	27	24	42
46	Louisiana	5	19	33	47	38	3	48	49
47	Delaware	29	21	47	38	47	21	21	25
48	New Mexico	20	26	37	25	31	23	47	50
49	Nevada	36	39	50	40	21	15	39	24
50	Alaska	28	42	42	18	50	50	35	40

Source Data:

We used the following source data to calculate the average rankings for all 50 states across each of the 8 categories: #1. Home values, #2. Overall affordability, #3. Unemployment rate, #4. Strength of economy, #5. Quality of life, #6. Climate & weather, #7. Quality of education, and #8. Safety & crime rates.

• Zillow Home Value Index

• Unemployment Rates for States (bls.gov)

• State Economic Data

• National Centers for Environmental Information

• Safety & Crime Data by State   

About the Author

Brian Reese is a senior advisor and co-owner at District Lending. He is one of the world’s leading experts in veteran benefits, having helped millions of veterans secure their financial future since 2013. Brian is the founder VA Claims Insider, an education-based Coaching & Consulting company whose mission is to educate and empower veterans to get the VA disability benefits they’ve earned for their honorable service. A former active-duty air force officer, Brian deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is a distinguished graduate of management of the United States Air Force Academy and earned his MBA as a National Honor Scholar from the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University.

In Brian’s Words:

“As a military veteran, I’ve made it my life’s mission to help people live happier and wealthier lives. District Lending brings this mission to life. We believe in integrity, honesty, and transparency, which is why you’ll see our rates right on our website. You’ll find lower rates and zero lending fees, which means you can buy your dream home for less. The savings are passed on to you — the way it should be.”

– Brian Reese, Advisor and Co-Owner, District Lending