The Best Life Rank scores every state across the things that matter day to day, then ranks them 1 to 50. Tap any column to sort by that factor, or open a state for the full picture.
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| # | State | Cost | Climate | Schools | Safety |
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How the Best Life Rank works: each state is scored on ten factors, cost of living, climate, healthcare, schools, safety, economy, air quality, green space, walkability, and dog friendliness, drawn from sources including the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, the FBI, the EPA, and NOAA. Cost of living comes from our BLISS Score. Factors are weighted and combined into a single rank. Cost carries the most weight, because affordability shapes daily life more than any other single factor. Numbers shown are each state's rank (1 = best) on that factor.