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 |
|---|
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.