5. Utah
> Population: 3,337,975 (+2.0% in last year)
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years (9th highest)
> Median household income: $79,449 (11th highest)
> Median home value: $421,700 (7th highest)
> Median housing costs as pct. of income: 17.1% (21st highest)
> August 2022 unemployment: 2.1% (3rd lowest)
Utah has one of the strongest job markets of any state. As of August 2022, its unemployment rate was just 2.1%, third lowest among states and well below the 3.8% national jobless rate. Incomes are also high in the state, with the typical household earning $79,449, about $10,000 more than the typical household across the U.S. as a whole.
Home values can be indicative of an area’s desirability, and in Utah, the typical home is worth $421,700, or $140,300 more than the national median home value. Even though homes are relatively expensive, housing in the state remains relatively affordable, relative to income. Median housing costs – considering both renters and homeowners – account for 17.1% of the income the typical household earns, compared to the 17.4% national ratio. Overall, goods and services are about 5% less expensive than average in Utah.
4. Idaho
> Population: 1,900,923 (+3.4% in last year)
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.2 years (16th highest)
> Median household income: $66,474 (24th lowest)
> Median home value: $369,300 (11th highest)
> Median housing costs as pct. of income: 16.8% (25th lowest)
> August 2022 unemployment: 2.7% (9th lowest)
Idaho ranks as the fourth best state to live in the country and the fourth best state in the continental Western United States. In 2021 alone, the state’s population grew by 3.4%, the largest increase in the country – and the growth was driven largely by people moving to the state. Home values can be indicative of an area’s desirability, and in Idaho, the typical home is worth $369,300, or $87,900 more than the national median home value.
Even though homes are relatively expensive, housing in the state remains relatively affordable, relative income. Median housing costs – considering both renters and homeowners – account for just 16.8% of the income the typical household earns, compared to the 17.4% national ratio. Overall, goods and services are about 9% less expensive than average in the state.
Idaho also has a strong job market. The August 2022 unemployment rate was just 2.7%, ninth lowest among states and well below the 3.8% national jobless rate.
3. Hawaii
> Population: 1,441,553 (-0.9% in last year)
> Life expectancy at birth: 82.3 years (the highest)
> Median household income: $84,857 (6th highest)
> Median home value: $722,500 (the highest)
> Median housing costs as pct. of income: 20.5% (3rd highest)
> August 2022 unemployment: 3.6% (23rd highest)
Based on several key social, environmental, and economic indicators, Hawaii ranks as the third best state to live in in the United States – and the only state outside of the Northeast to rank among the top three. The state has a warm climate and some of the cleanest air in the country, with low concentrations of harmful particulate matter.
Incomes in Hawaii are far higher than average. The typical household in the state earns $84,857, over $15,000 more than what the typical household nationwide earns. The state’s high quality of life is also due in part to low crime rates. Hawaii’s violent crime rate of 254 incidents per 100,000 people is the 10th lowest among states and well below the national rate of 399 per 100,000.
2. Vermont
> Population: 645,570 (+0.4% in last year)
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.7 years (12th highest)
> Median household income: $72,431 (16th highest)
> Median home value: $271,500 (23rd highest)
> Median housing costs as pct. of income: 18.9% (9th highest)
> August 2022 unemployment: 2.0% (the lowest)
Vermont invests more in its education system than most states. Per pupil spending across the state’s public schools totals $16,359 a year, eighth highest among states. Vermont also has the strongest job market in the country, with just a 2.0% unemployment rate in August 2022. For context, the national unemployment rate that month was 3.8%. Residents are also less likely than most Americans to face serious financial hardship. The state’s 10.3% poverty rate is 10th lowest among the 50 states and considerably lower than the 12.8% national rate.
Vermont’s high quality of life is also due in part to low crime rates. Its violent crime rate of 173 incidents per 100,000 people is the third lowest among states and well below the national rate of 399 per 100,000.
1. New Hampshire
> Population: 1,388,992 (+0.8% in last year)
> Life expectancy at birth: 79.6 years (13th highest)
> Median household income: $88,465 (4th highest)
> Median home value: $345,200 (14th highest)
> Median housing costs as pct. of income: 19.0% (8th highest)
> August 2022 unemployment: 2.3% (6th lowest)
Based on a number of key economic and social factors, New Hampshire ranks as the best place to live in the United States. The state’s job market is among the strongest in the country, with an August 2022 unemployment rate of just 2.3%, well below the 3.8% national rate. Incomes are also high, with most households earning over $88,400 a year. New Hampshire is also one of the safest states in the country, with a violent crime rate of just 146 incidents per 100,000 people, the second lowest among states.
New Hampshire is one of the fastest growing states in the country. Considering only net migration and excluding natural growth – births minus deaths – the state’s population expanded by 1.2% from 2020 to 2021, the ninth largest such increase of any state.
