Best states to live in, 2023. See where your state ranks for affordability, safety and more. (2024)

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Best states to live in, 2023. See where your state ranks for affordability, safety and more.? ›

Massachusetts topped 2023's list, scoring 61 out of 100. New Jersey came in second. New Hampshire, New York, and Wyoming fill out the rest of the top five states to live in, in that order. Several Southern states – Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, among others – rounded out the bottom of WalletHub's rankings.

Massachusetts has been named the top state to live in for 2023 while New Mexico has been named the worst, according to WalletHub. The personal finance website based its rankings, released Aug. 14, on key indicators of livability, including affordability, economy, safety, quality of life and education and health.

The top five states in terms of quality of life are Washington, Minnesota, Utah, New Hampshire, and Idaho, signifying these have the best combination of healthcare, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime rates and natural environment.

The cheapest states to live in are Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kansas, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Mississippi is the cheapest state to live in in the US, with a cost of living index of 85. The second cheapest state to live in is Oklahoma, with a cost of living index of 85.8.

The safest state in the U.S., according to the U.S. News methodology, is New Hampshire. With a violent crime rate of 126 per 100,000 and a property crime rate of 1,011 per 100,000, New Hampshire enjoys a high rate of public safety.

South Dakota is among the states with the highest minimum wage and low cost of living, with housing and utilities costing an estimated 15% less than the national average in the US. The minimum wage in the state is set to increase 40 cents from January 1, 2024.

To determine which states are the most affordable, the research team at USA TODAY Homefront looked at the cost of living by state. Utah came out on top as the most affordable state, thanks to manageable health care costs. On the other hand, the high homeownership costs landed New York as the least affordable state.

What is the #1 state in the USA? ›

Hawaii is the top state for health care in the U.S. It has the best health outcomes in the country, with low preventable death (630 per 100,000 people), diabetes mortality and obesity rates.

Utah is now the happiest state in the nation. WalletHub released the results of its 2023 Happiest States in America research. The company combed through studies to identify which internal and external factors give people a sense of overall well-being and satisfaction with life.

The most moved-to states in 2023 were South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arizona and Florida. Among the top inbound states in the Moving Migration Report, some cities saw a higher influx of new residents than others. The top cities in 2023 include: Tucson, Arizona.

WalletHub released a 2023 report listing the safest states in the US. States were ranked based on 52 safety indicators, including work safety and emergency preparedness. Vermont scored the highest, followed by Maine.