Ranking the 50 States
First published: Saturday May 9th, 2026
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Welcome
So it's been a while since the last time I blogged, so I figure i will rank the 50 states of the United States by how good it is to live there. Things I will be taking into consideration
Life Expectancy
GDP Per Capita
Violent Crime Rate
Poverty Rate
Cost of Living
Health Quality
Percentage with HS Diploma
I will not be taking into account any personal bias or nature, but in my descriptions of each, I will explain good and bad of each state.
50. Louisiana
Louisiana is very important culturally, and was very rich in its peak eras, but now it is extremely corrupt and dangerous, and poverty is high. This is why it is dead last now, with an average ranking of 41.286.
49. New Mexico
New Mexico is one of the worst states in the nation. It has high poverty, is not growing like the rest of the Sunbelt is, and it is the second most dangerous state in the nation. No number of chili peppers can cure its average ranking of 40.143.
48. Arkansas
The Land of Opportunity has no opportunity. Just poverty and obesity. It ranks in the bottom ten in every metric I used except cost of living, and its average rank? 39.429.
47. Alabama
Alabama seems like a prime state and it is starting to grow. Huntsville is an amazing city, and the gulf coast is good, but the state struggles severely with education, poverty, and health. Its average ranking was 37.571
46. Oklahoma
Oklahoma has one of the highest obesity rates in the country and I'm sad to say, no scenery. Oklahoma City and Tulsa are among the poorest major cities in America, and the state's overall ranking is just 37.286.
45. South Carolina
Sorry LuckyCat. As much as I love South Carolina, it is right here on this list. With an average ranking of 36.571, it has low stats in general, and has a history of poverty. But people are moving here, and it will grow. Plus the coast is amazing.
44. Mississippi
As much as I expected this state to be dead last, somehow SIX whole states are worse. It is dead last in two categories, but it has low violent crime and it has very low cost of living, which slightly redeems it, emphasis on slightly as it still has an average ranking of 36.143
43. Tennessee
With an average ranking of 35.857, Tennessee seems like with Nashville, it should be better. But actually, outside of Nashville, life is pretty hard. But the Appalachian scenery in the east is very breathtaking, and Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park.
42. West Virginia
Apologies to you Pontiac, but it is what it is. West Virginia has a low life expectancy, low income, but it is very cheap and somewhat safe, and the scenery is obviously beautiful in the Appalachian Mountains. Its average ranking is still 35.429.
41. Nevada
With an average ranking of 34.429, Nevada seemed to me like it is a prime state, but it ranks terribly low in both health and education, and mediocre in most categories, bringing it down to our bottom ten. But as I have seen, the desert and Lake Tahoe are beautiful, and Las Vegas is so peak.
40. Kentucky
Kentucky is doing much better than I expected. I imagined it as being bottom 5 level bad, but the scenery here is very cool, it has the world's deepest cave, and the culture is also amazing. It is very good on violent crime and cost of living. Its average ranking is 33.857
39. Arizona
Arizona has no bottom ten ranks, but it also surprisingly has 0 good ranks. With an average of 33.714, it is in between 30-40 in every metric. However, Phoenix is growing fast and the Grand Canyon is very cool.
38. Georgia
With an average of 32.143, Georgia does better than most of its neighbors. But compared to the rest of the states, it is unhealthy and uneducated, keeping it down hard.
37. Texas
Oh lord. everyone is going to scream at me. I am sorry good master Capybarra, and to FreeStater, KiloNova, and all the other Texan JetPunkers, so sorry. But this is how it is. Texas has terrible education and health, and no particularly good rankings, with an average of 32.000.
36. Michigan
With an average of 30.714, Michigan was once one of the greatest states in the nation, but deindustrialization ended that winning streak. Hard. But the Upper Peninsula and Great Lakes sure are amazing.
35. Missouri
Missouri is going in the right direction and Kansas City is growing into one of the best cities in the country. Most of Missouri is still poor though, and St. Louis is very dangerous. It has an average ranking of 30.571.
34. North Carolina
30.286 is this state's average ranking, and despite Raleigh and Charlotte being great cities, the rest of the state has the same quality of life as part of the Deep South.
33. California
Ah yes, my least favourite (and also home) state. It has the worst education in the country. This is even worse than Mississippi. Average income? You can forget about keeping most of it with progressive taxation. House prices are among the highest in the nation, and air pollution and traffic are real. Average ranking 30. Worst. State. Ever. (but not according to the facts)
32. Indiana
We have a three-way tie, all with an average of 29.143, so I will personally break this tie. Indiana is boring and known for having more interchanges than any other state, and please don't go to Gary. But, it is very cheap and Stranger Things is set there :)
31. Alaska
Alaska has an average of 29.143, and it is very very dangerous, rural, and remote. There is a reason people are paid to live here. But the scenery here is better than any other state, and income is also high.
30. Florida
I love Florida. the Everglades are stunning, Disney World is here, and parts of the state are growing. But it ranks low in most metrics, with an average of 29.143. It is still very much like the Deep South.
29. Montana
Montana has very good education, it has Rocky Mountains, and big skies. But it is also largely a rural state, and with a 28.571 average, has slightly below average stats in most rankings.
28. New York
New York is a beautiful state, and there is no city like New York. But New York also has a cost of living problem so serious i might cry. Its poverty and education problems add to this, with an average ranking of 27.857.
27. Ohio
With an average ranking of 27.286, Ohio is doing pretty good despite Cleveland and Akron and Youngstown and all, and Columbus is a thriving city that is nearing a million residents. Only in Ohio.
26. Oregon
I do not like Oregon a lot. It is expensive, and I have heard there is crime in Portland. Violent. Crime. But its scenery is very stunning, and I have never seen any lake as beautiful as Crater Lake. Average ranking 26.571
25. Kansas
Pretty boring state, moving on.
24. Illinois
With an average ranking of 22.857, Illinois isn't actually a bad state. Sure Chicago is dangerous, but I am sure it will get better. It is one of the ONLY two places I have been east of the Mississippi, and I loved it.
23. South Dakota
22.571 is this state's average ranking, and it comes from slightly above average traits in each category, except violent crime. This is a problem caused by reservation poverty, which I think must get better for this amazing state to succeed.
22. Idaho
22.429? Idaho I am disappointed. I thought it would be better, but all these new residents are causing an income problem which will get better in time. after all, it has potatoes and mountains. w idaho.
21. Maryland
Maryland is a good state in general, but it has a serious problem. That problem is called cost of living, and it is among the top 5 highest. The Chesapeake Bay and Crabs and Old Bay though? so beautiful. I am sorry ptcairn. Its average ranking? 22.286
20. Delaware
Another Maryland-like state. Except flat. and boring. And home of the 46th president of America. It used to be well known for being corporation friendly, but now we know the truth. May Delaware plummet in shame. 22.143, and even that is too high.
19. Rhode Island
We have a tie at 21.857, and I am breaking it myself. Rhode Island has a problem. No nature. It is small and overbuilt, and its cost of living kind of sucks.
18. Pennsylvania
Second best education in America, everyone's favourite swing state sadly ranks only ok in every other category, keeping it down. But in this tie, it is clearly the better one. Plus its history is very cool.
17. Wyoming
With 20.286, Wyoming is my personal second favorite state, but the numbers say otherwise. It has great income, but it is lagging in life expectancy and opportunity, after all who lives here other than cowboys? Well it also has Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Very cool WY.
16. Wisconsin
Wisconsin is America's dairyland and beerland, and the most alcoholic US State. It is also struggling from deindustrialization. It has a major advantage in education, and in general, above average stats. 19.429. It ties with...
15. Colorado
Colorado is tied with Wisconsin at 19.429, but I give it the edge since unlike Wisconsin, it is growing, has amazing ski resorts and mountains, but it has a problem. Very high violent crime.
14. Maine
Maine is a rural libertarian state in the far northeast of America, and it is in general a healthy educated state to live in. But the population is aging fast and it doesn't have much opportunity, and an average ranking of 18.857.
13. Virginia
The final southern state to make it on this list. It stands out from others because it has a massively high income, especially in Northern Virginia, and a lot of history. I have been here and from my brief glances, it seems great. :fire:, 18.571
12. Washington
Washington has an average ranking of 17.143, and as the Quizmaster's home state, he is probably kind of sad to see it here, because its cost of living is a serious problem. But Amazon and Microsoft are based here, and Seattle is a thriving city.
11. New Jersey
With 16.714, it is doing much better than New York, which is strange as NJ is often seen as just NYC suburbs. With 3 top 10 rankings, it is very good, but cost of living drags it down.
10. Iowa
Iowa is a cool state. Despite being often overlooked as farmland and nothing else, it has NO below average stats, and is the tenth cheapest state. W Iowa. 16.286
9. Hawaii
With an average of exactly 16, Hawaii is one of my favourite states, found in Oceania, the best continent. But cost of living is literally the highest in the nation, and I am sure Hawaii would have been #1 without it.
8. Vermont
Vermont is in a tie with another state, and due to literally being ruled by a socialist, it is the lower one. But it has maple syrup and moose, very cool, and high education and health.
7. Nebraska
It's tied with Vermont with an average ranking of 15.429, but Nebraska has only top 20 traits, and has a mix of rural farmland and cities, something for everyone.
6. Connecticut
With an average ranking of 15.143, Connecticut is in my opinion, the most forgotten state. But it is very safe, healthy, and high income. I think I just ignore it because of a lack of a single major city to define it. It has so many cities.
5. Massachusetts
Massachusetts is in a tie with another state, a state that just so happens to be very different from it. Massachusetts' only real problem is cost of living, and other than that it has high lifespan and income, and is by far the most educated state.
4. Utah
Utah has an advantage of Massachusetts because not only does it have no bad stats, it has the most beautiful scenery i have ever seen in places like Arches and Zion. Average ranking 13.571
3. North Dakota
Can this get any more unexpected? Seems like it should be mid tier, but it has very high income and education, and low poverty and cost of living. Its lowest stat is #18, very proud. 12.429
2. Minnesota
With all the recent unrest in the news, this state seems horrible, right? Well, not exactly. It has high stats literally everywhere, and the scenery and lakes and all are absolutely stunning. Good job Minnesota. 11.714
1. New Hampshire
At last we arrived in the greatest state in America. Top ten in all categories but 2, this highly educated and highly libertarian state is #1. The mountains are stunning, and the cities here are the safest in the nation. Good job to the Granite State.
Outro
Well this was a fun blog to make :3. Hope you enjoyed it and let me know in the comments what you think!
Also wdym by New Hampshire and Maine being libertarian states? I thought they voted dem?
-a very, very lazy froggo who got teleported to pumpkinwonnie's account
Lol