ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida landed in the top 10 of WalletHub’s new list of the best states to live in, ranking No. 10 overall in the latest analysis that compared all 50 states across several metrics tied to livability.
WalletHub’s rankings weigh five broad categories — Affordability, Economy, Education & Health, Quality of Life and Safety — using indicators such as housing affordability, income growth, educational attainment and hospital quality.
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How Florida performed
Florida’s overall showing was driven primarily by a strong quality-of-life score.
Florida’s category ranks (WalletHub):
- Overall: No. 10 (Total score: 57.48)
- Affordability: No. 32
- Economy: No. 17
- Education & Health: No. 24
- Quality of Life: No. 3
- Safety: No. 11
The results suggest Florida’s lifestyle advantages — including factors captured in WalletHub’s quality-of-life measures — helped offset weaker rankings in affordability and education/health.
What topped the list
The highest-ranked states overall were:
- Idaho
- New Jersey
- Wisconsin
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
“Idaho is the best state to live in, boasting one of the lowest median real estate tax rates in the country, at just 0.5%, along with the eighth-highest homeownership rate. It also has the fourth-lowest tax rates overall and the highest median household income growth, making it a great place to build and grow wealth.
In addition, the Gem State has the seventh-lowest share of urban interstates experiencing congestion during peak hours. This naturally leads to some of the lowest average commute times in the country.
To top things off, Idaho is a pretty safe state. It has the 14th-lowest violent crime rate and the lowest property crime rate in the country."
WalletHub, "Best States to Live In"
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said people considering a move should weigh both money and day-to-day living conditions.
“When deciding on a place to move, you should first consider financial factors like the cost of living, housing prices and job availability,” Lupo said. “Many states have strong economies, though, so you should also consider… how where you live will impact your health and safety.”
WalletHub’s data was compiled from sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, FBI, CDC and other federal and research organizations.
Meanwhile, the full list is as follows:
| Overall Rank | State | Score | Best Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | 60.15 | Safety |
| 2 | New Jersey | 59.41 | Safety |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 59.32 | Safety |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 59.28 | Education & Health |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 58.89 | Economy |
| 6 | Wyoming | 58.71 | Safety |
| 7 | Utah | 58.63 | Education & Health |
| 8 | Minnesota | 57.94 | Education & Health |
| 9 | Pennsylvania | 57.71 | Quality of Life |
| 10 | Florida | 57.48 | Quality of Life |
| 11 | Iowa | 57.41 | Safety |
| 12 | New York | 57.12 | Quality of Life |
| 13 | Virginia | 55.98 | Education & Health |
| 14 | Montana | 55.64 | Montana |
| 15 | Maine | 54.78 | Education & Health |
| 16 | North Dakota | 54.74 | Economy |
| 17 | South Dakota | 54.20 | Economy |
| 18 | Illinois | 54.08 | Quality of Life |
| 19 | Vermont | 53.77 | Economy |
| 20 | Nebraska | 53.49 | Economy |
| 21 | Colorado | 53.45 | Education & Health |
| 22 | Connecticut | 53.27 | Education & Health |
| 23 | Rhode Island | 53.15 | Safety |
| 24 | Kansas | 52.82 | Quality of Life |
| 25 | Indiana | 52.57 | Affordability |
| 26 | North Carolina | 51.84 | Affordability |
| 27 | Georgia | 51.81 | Affordability/Safety |
| 28 | Ohio | 51.60 | Quality of Life |
| 29 | Michigan | 51.56 | Affordability |
| 30 | Missouri | 51.50 | Affordability |
| 31 | California | 51.44 | Quality of Life |
| 32 | Delaware | 49.76 | Affordability |
| 33 | Washington | 49.70 | Economy |
| 34 | Arizona | 48.41 | Quality of Life |
| 35 | Maryland | 48.38 | Education & Health |
| 36 | Texas | 48.35 | Quality of Life |
| 37 | Hawaii | 48.34 | Economy |
| 38 | South Carolina | 48.08 | Affordability |
| 39 | Alabama | 47.84 | Affordability |
| 40 | Tennessee | 47.62 | Affordability |
| 41 | Kentucky | 47.59 | Affordability |
| 42 | Oregon | 46.49 | Quality of Life |
| 43 | West Virginia | 45.98 | Affordability |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 45.47 | Affordability |
| 45 | Nevada | 44.54 | Quality of Life |
| 46 | Arkansas | 43.29 | Affordability |
| 47 | Alaska | 42.92 | Economy |
| 48 | Mississippi | 42.77 | Affordability |
| 49 | Louisiana | 42.27 | Affordability |
| 50 | New Mexico | 41.42 | Affordability |
The methodology used for each factor is as follows:
- Affordability
- Housing affordability
- Median annual property taxes
- Cost of living
- Median annual household income
- Homeownership rate
- Economy
- Unemployment rate
- Underemployment rate
- Sharecare Well-Being “Economic Security”
- Share of population living in poverty
- Media debt per median earnings
- Population growth
- Income growth
- Building-permit growth
- Wealth gap
- General tax-friendliness
- Entrepreneurial activity
- Job opportunities
- Foreclosure rate
- Bankruptcy rate
- Food insecurity
- Education & Health
- Quality of public school system
- High school graduation rate
- Share of population aged 25 and older with a high school diploma or higher
- Share of insured population
- Quality of public hospital system
- Premature-death rate
- Poor or fair health
- Life expectancy
- Share of live births with low birthweight
- Share of obese adults
- Share of physically inactive adults
- Quality of Life
- Average hours worked per week
- Average commute time (minutes)
- Miles of trails for bicycling and walking per total state land area
- “Bicycle Friendly State” ranking
- Access to public transportation
- Quality of roads
- Traffic congestion
- Restaurants per capita
- Bars per capita
- Museums per capita
- Performing arts center per capita
- Movie theaters per capita
- Fitness centers per capita
- Accessibility of beaches
- Weather
- Air Quality
- Safety
- Violent-crime rate
- Property-crime rate
- Traffic-related fatalities per capita
- Total law-enforcement employees per capita