According To Americans, These Are The Best And Worst States In The Union—Where’s Your State On The List?

March 10, 2026 | Jesse Singer

According To Americans, These Are The Best And Worst States In The Union—Where’s Your State On The List?

Where Americans Say Life Is Actually Good

We all have opinions about which states are “the best.” So, for this ranking of the states, we went directly to the source of those opinions—Americans themselves. How do they actually feel about living where they live?

Curious about the methodology? Well, we weighted 3 overall metric categories, including

Overall Well Being (life satisfaction,“Good Place to Live”, “Wouldn’t Move If They Could, etc): (70%), Perceived safety (15%), State pride/stickiness (15%)

And here they are ranked from 50 to 1...(any guesses what number 1 is?)

Individuals with 3D map of US Factinate

50: Kansas

Overall Well-Being Rank: 50

Perceived Safety Rank: 42

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 45

Consistently low well-being perception across key sentiment measures.

Wichita, Kansas skyline aerial view Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons

49: Mississippi

Overall Well-Being Rank: 49

Perceived Safety Rank: 49

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 44

Lowest overall happiness sentiment with weak safety perception.

Gulfport, Mississippi WeaponizingArchitecture, Wikimedia Commons

48: Wyoming

Overall Well-Being Rank: 48

Perceived Safety Rank: 27

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 8

Strong pride sentiment, though overall well-being perception trails.

Downtown Cheyenne, looking north from I-80 Vasiliymeshko, Wikimedia Commons

47: West Virginia

Overall Well-Being Rank: 47

Perceived Safety Rank: 48

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 6

Strong identity, but consistently low happiness sentiment.

trees near cathedral and buildings Kevin Ku, Unsplash

46: Louisiana

Overall Well-Being Rank: 46

Perceived Safety Rank: 47

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 11

Strong cultural pride, yet weaker safety and satisfaction perception.

This is the skyline of Monroe, Louisiana in 2021. TheLionHasSeen, Wikimedia Commons

45: New Mexico

Overall Well-Being Rank: 45

Perceived Safety Rank: 46

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 43

Lower safety perception and softer happiness sentiment weigh heavily.

#1 most populated city in new mexico Debernardi, Wikimedia Commons

44: Arkansas

Overall Well-Being Rank: 44

Perceived Safety Rank: 43

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 42

Moderate loyalty, but weaker overall well-being perception.

Skyline of Little Rock, Arkansas, photographed from the top of the River Market parking deck looking towards the southwest. Broooooooce (Bruce W. Stracener)., Wikimedia Commons

43: Alabama

Overall Well-Being Rank: 43

Perceived Safety Rank: 32

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 41

Pride pockets present, though happiness perception stays subdued.

an aerial view of a city with tall buildings Lance Asper, Unsplash

42: Oklahoma

Overall Well-Being Rank: 42

Perceived Safety Rank: 34

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 40

Below-average well-being sentiment shapes its lower placement.

This photo of downtown Oklahoma City's skyline is current as of January 2015. It comes from the Flickr folder of photo assets for Media requests to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber or the Oklahoma City. https://www.flickr.com/photos/oklahomacity/8347784256/ Greater Oklahoma City Chamber and Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) (uploaded by Chamber employee Lillie-Beth Brinkman [email protected]), Wikimedia Commons

41: Kentucky

Overall Well-Being Rank: 41

Perceived Safety Rank: 33

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 39

Moderate pride exists, but overall satisfaction remains limited.

Waterfront and downtown Louisville, Kentucky, USA, on Ohio River at mile 604
View looking south-southwest from Clark (2nd St.) Bridge

June 30, 1999 William Alden III, Wikimedia Commons

40: Nevada

Overall Well-Being Rank: 40

Perceived Safety Rank: 44

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 38

Destination appeal helps, though safety and loyalty perception lag.

Night aerial view, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Carol M. Highsmith, Wikimedia Commons

39: Alaska

Overall Well-Being Rank: 39

Perceived Safety Rank: 40

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 3

Extremely high pride contrasts with more mixed well-being perception.

Taken at the end of April 2008 in Anchorage, Alaska. Frank K. from Anchorage, Alaska, USA, Wikimedia Commons

38: South Carolina

Overall Well-Being Rank: 38

Perceived Safety Rank: 45

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 37

Generally liked, yet weaker safety perception weighs it down.

skyline of downtown Columbia, SC, USA from Arsenal Hill neighborhood Akhenaton06, Wikimedia Commons

37: Tennessee

Overall Well-Being Rank: 37

Perceived Safety Rank: 32

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 36

Strong pride presence, but mid-tier overall happiness sentiment.

Eastward view of the skyline of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. Nathan C. Fortner (User:Nfutvol at en.wikipedia), Wikimedia Commons

36: Michigan

Overall Well-Being Rank: 36

Perceived Safety Rank: 31

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 35

Strong identity, though broader satisfaction perception remains mixed.

500px provided description: Detroit skyline, as viewed from Windsor, Canada [#ontario ,#canada ,#sky ,#city ,#sunset ,#river ,#blue ,#sun ,#clouds ,#architecture ,#cityscape ,#skyline ,#long exposure ,#michigan ,#windsor ,#detroit ,#detroit river ,#500pxGPW15] Michael Tighe, Wikimedia Commons

35: Ohio

Overall Well-Being Rank: 35

Perceived Safety Rank: 28

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 34

Stable but rarely considered among the happiest states.

Image taken in Columbus, Ohio. Jsjessee, Wikimedia Commons

34: Indiana

Overall Well-Being Rank: 34

Perceived Safety Rank: 29

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 33

Quietly average across happiness, safety, and loyalty.

Aerial looking east northeast across downtown Indianapolis. The Indiana Statehouse is visible in the foreground. tpsdave, Wikimedia Commons

33: Missouri

Overall Well-Being Rank: 33

Perceived Safety Rank: 30

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 32

Generally balanced, though below national well-being leaders.

St. Louis on the Mississippi river by night/ Jefferson National Expansion Memorial aka. Gateway Arch and Old Courthouse are visible. Daniel Schwen, Wikimedia Commons

32: Arizona

Overall Well-Being Rank: 32

Perceived Safety Rank: 39

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 26

Lifestyle draw balances moderate safety and stickiness.

File:Phoenix skyline Arizona USA.jpg Urban~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons

31: Georgia

Overall Well-Being Rank: 31

Perceived Safety Rank: 37

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 18

Growth energy and pride help offset mixed satisfaction perception.

Downtown Augusta, Georgia as seen across the Savannah River, on the Fifth Street Bridge. c_live_lee, Wikimedia Commons

30: Florida

Overall Well-Being Rank: 30

Perceived Safety Rank: 38

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 16

Highly popular destination, yet resident happiness trends more moderate.

View of the lower Miami skyline from Bayfront Park in February 2020. Photo by Chris6d. Chris6d, Wikimedia Commons

29: Pennsylvania

Overall Well-Being Rank: 29

Perceived Safety Rank: 25

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 27

Steady mid-tier well-being and safety perception overall.

Philadelphia Skyline 2008 by Ed Yakovich Ed Yakovich , emy111 , flickr: i like the weekend , https://www.flickr.com/photos/10396190@N04/, Wikimedia Commons

28: Illinois

Overall Well-Being Rank: 28

Perceived Safety Rank: 36

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 21

Urban pride helps, though safety perception limits upward movement.

Public domain picture of Chicago quinntheislander, Wikimedia Commons

27: Texas

Overall Well-Being Rank: 27

Perceived Safety Rank: 34

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 1

Nation-leading pride lifts otherwise mid-level satisfaction ratings.

View of Dallas Arts District and the Downtown skyline. Gattacal, Wikimedia Commons

26: North Carolina

Overall Well-Being Rank: 26

Perceived Safety Rank: 24

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 25

Well-balanced across perception measures without elite highs.

The Raleigh skyline as viewed from Dorothea Dix Park. Abhiram Juvvadi, Wikimedia Commons

25: New York

Overall Well-Being Rank: 25

Perceived Safety Rank: 33

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 19

Strong identity and pride, though happiness ratings vary more widely.

A portion of the Manhattan skyline, with the Empire State Building right in the center of the photo. Storylanding, Wikimedia Commons

24: California

Overall Well-Being Rank: 24

Perceived Safety Rank: 35

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 17

Lifestyle appeal lifts it, though safety perception tempers enthusiasm.

Sacramento, California skyline in 2023 Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons

23: Oregon

Overall Well-Being Rank: 23

Perceived Safety Rank: 20

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 31

Solid well-being sentiment with respectable safety perception.

The skyline of downtown Portland, Oregon from the northwest. In the lower foreground is Interstate 405. Ian Poellet, Wikimedia Commons

22: Delaware

Overall Well-Being Rank: 22

Perceived Safety Rank: 23

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 23

Stable comfort and moderate safety perception drive dependable sentiment.

Skyline of downtown Wilmington, Delaware and the Christina River in December 2006 Tim Kiser (User:Malepheasant), Wikimedia Commons

21: Rhode Island

Overall Well-Being Rank: 21

Perceived Safety Rank: 22

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 24

Small-state cohesion supports solid happiness and loyalty levels.

Providence Rhode Island skyline in 2017 Kenneth C. Zirkel, Wikimedia Commons

20: Virginia

Overall Well-Being Rank: 20

Perceived Safety Rank: 19

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 20

Above-average satisfaction and steady safety perception define its placement.

View of Richmond, Virginia, USA jeff horne from Richmond, VA, Wikimedia Commons

19: Maryland

Overall Well-Being Rank: 19

Perceived Safety Rank: 21

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 22

Strong happiness pockets balanced by moderate safety sentiment.

A view of Downtown Baltimore from the East, on Fayette St. The intersection in the distance is where Fayette St. crosses President St., which becomes the Jones Falls Expressway on the opposite side of the intersection. User:Steelplug, Wikimedia Commons

18: New Jersey

Overall Well-Being Rank: 14

Perceived Safety Rank: 16

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 30

Very high satisfaction offsets more moderate pride perception.

New Jersey skyline from Statue of Liberty Adithyavr, Wikimedia Commons

17: Connecticut

Overall Well-Being Rank: 10

Perceived Safety Rank: 14

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 29

Quietly strong well-being perception supports its upper-half placement.

The skyline of Hartford, Connecticut's capital city with a population of 121,000. Taken on October 31, 2025 Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons

16: Montana

Overall Well-Being Rank: 18

Perceived Safety Rank: 12

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 2

Exceptional pride and lifestyle sentiment elevate Montana into the top tier.

File:Billings Skyline.jpg Pruhter~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons

15: South Dakota

Overall Well-Being Rank: 17

Perceived Safety Rank: 8

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 11

Very strong safety and loyalty perception boost overall well-being.

Skyline of Rapid City, South Dakota, taken from Hillcrest Drive WeaponizingArchitecture, Wikimedia Commons

14: North Dakota

Overall Well-Being Rank: 16

Perceived Safety Rank: 7

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 12

Strong loyalty and above-average happiness perception anchor its ranking.

Fargo, North Dakota. Jonathan Geiger, Wikimedia Commons

13: Nebraska

Overall Well-Being Rank: 15

Perceived Safety Rank: 11

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 13

High stickiness and steady well-being sentiment push it upward.

The downtown skyline in Omaha, Nebraska, as seen from across the Missouri River in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

/sim Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Wikimedia Commons

12: Iowa

Overall Well-Being Rank: 13

Perceived Safety Rank: 9

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 15

Strong satisfaction and loyalty patterns support its upper-tier finish.

The Des Moines River leading to the Des Moines, Iowa skyline, as viewed from the SE 6th Street bridge. Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Wikimedia Commons

11: Wisconsin

Overall Well-Being Rank: 12

Perceived Safety Rank: 10

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 14

Balanced happiness, safety perception, and stickiness create dependable strength.

Photo by Isaac Rowlett Bfkenney, Wikimedia Commons

10: Maine

Overall Well-Being Rank: 11

Perceived Safety Rank: 5

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 9

Strong resident loyalty and safety sentiment reinforce steady well-being scores.

Aerial view of Portland, Maine's skyline Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons

9: Washington

Overall Well-Being Rank: 9

Perceived Safety Rank: 17

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 18

High overall happiness perception drives its strong national standing.

Seattle Skyline view from Queen Anne Hill. Daniel Schwen, Wikimedia Commons

8: Massachusetts

Overall Well-Being Rank: 7

Perceived Safety Rank: 15

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 28

Elite well-being perception carries it despite more modest pride intensity.

Boston, Massachusetts - View from Route 93 Sharon Hahn Darlin, Wikimedia Commons

7: Idaho

Overall Well-Being Rank: 8

Perceived Safety Rank: 4

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 7

High loyalty and safety perception boost solid overall well-being sentiment.

Downtown Boise in the winter of 2021 Jyoni Shuler, Wikimedia Commons

6: Colorado

Overall Well-Being Rank: 5

Perceived Safety Rank: 18

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 10

Consistently strong satisfaction and lifestyle perception keep Colorado among the leaders.

Denver Skyline at Sunset, Denver, Colorado Denver Flickr user: Larry Johnson https://www.flickr.com/people/drljohnson/, Wikimedia Commons

5: Vermont

Overall Well-Being Rank: 6

Perceived Safety Rank: 3

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 4

Strong safety sentiment and high stickiness elevate Vermont near the very top.

The state house in the capital city of Vermont, Montpelier. Ted Dawson, Wikimedia Commons

4: Utah

Overall Well-Being Rank: 4

Perceived Safety Rank: 2

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 6

Excellent balance across well-being, safety perception, and long-term resident loyalty.

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Pasteur, Wikimedia Commons

3: New Hampshire

Overall Well-Being Rank: 3

Perceived Safety Rank: 6

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 5

Very strong happiness ratings and strong “wouldn’t move” sentiment fuel its top-tier finish.

Manchester, New Hampshire skyline Quintin Soloviev, Wikimedia Commons

2: Hawaii

Overall Well-Being Rank: 2

Perceived Safety Rank: 26

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 8

Sky-high life satisfaction drives its placement, even with slightly softer long-term stickiness.

ErgoSum88, Wikimedia Commons

1: Minnesota

Overall Well-Being Rank: 1

Perceived Safety Rank: 1

Pride & Stickiness Rank: 3

Elite safety perception and strong resident loyalty combine with consistently high well-being sentiment.

Skyline of Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Taken looking Northwest. AlexiusHoratius, Wikimedia Commons

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March 10, 2026

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Jesse Singer

Jesse Singer is a writer from Montreal who grew up obsessed with movies—and so it only makes sense that he graduated from McGill University with a degree in Political Science. He then put that degree to good use with a job at a video store (remember those?). He followed that up with months backpacking around Europe (a continent he’s returned to many times). And for the last couple decades he’s been writing online, and in print, for a number of different sites and publications covering everything from film & TV to website reviews, dating & culture, history, news, and sports. He’s worn many hats—which is ironic, because he loves wearing hats and has a rather sizable collection.

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