Quality Of Life By State

Last updated May 23, 2025

Quality of Life Index
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Quality of Life IndexQuestion Mark
1.LouisianaLouisiana50
2.MississippiMississippi49
3.New MexicoNew Mexico48
4.West VirginiaWest Virginia47
5.AlabamaAlabama46
6.AlaskaAlaska45
7.ArkansasArkansas44
8.OklahomaOklahoma43
9.South CarolinaSouth Carolina42
10.KentuckyKentucky41
11.PennsylvaniaPennsylvania40
12.ArizonaArizona39
13.MichiganMichigan38
14.NevadaNevada37
15.OhioOhio36
16.WyomingWyoming35
17.Rhode IslandRhode Island34
18.MontanaMontana33
19.IndianaIndiana32
20.TexasTexas31
21.IllinoisIllinois30
22.TennesseeTennessee29
23.MissouriMissouri28
24.MaineMaine27
25.KansasKansas26
26.HawaiiHawaii25
27.CaliforniaCalifornia24
28.DelawareDelaware23
29.OregonOregon22
30.New YorkNew York21
31.ConnecticutConnecticut20
32.New JerseyNew Jersey19
33.GeorgiaGeorgia18
34.MarylandMaryland17
35.ColoradoColorado16
36.South DakotaSouth Dakota15
37.North DakotaNorth Dakota14
38.North CarolinaNorth Carolina13
39.IowaIowa12
40.VermontVermont11
41.FloridaFlorida10
42.MassachusettsMassachusetts9
43.WisconsinWisconsin8
44.VirginiaVirginia7
45.NebraskaNebraska6
46.IdahoIdaho5
47.New HampshireNew Hampshire4
48.UtahUtah3
49.MinnesotaMinnesota2
50.WashingtonWashington1

Quality of Life in the United States

Quality of life is an essential, though often abstract, factor when individuals or families decide where to establish their roots. In the United States, quality of life varies significantly from state to state due to a wide range of elements such as healthcare access, economic stability, educational opportunities, crime rates, infrastructure quality, and natural environment's 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.
  • States with the lowest quality of life scores are Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and West Virginia, located in the South and Midwest regions, respectively. This suggests these regions might face more pronounced challenges with issues such as healthcare access, education, economy, and crime rates.
  • Some of the most populous states like California (24) and New York (21) appear in the middle of the ranking, implying a large population does not necessarily equate to a higher quality of life score.
  • The states occupying the middle spot in the ranking, such as Ohio (36) and Indiana (32), suggest that there is room for these states to bolster their residents' quality of life by improving in some key areas.
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