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A new study by WalletHub studied 51 factors that impact livability and compared the results for all 50 states and found that the Bay State won out over all others.
Massachusetts led the pack with a score of 61.67, narrowly beating out the second-place state, New Jersey, which scored 61.48. New Hampshire followed closely behind in third place, scoring 59.32 points.
At the opposite end of the spectrum were Louisiana, Alaska, and New Mexico, which ranked 48, 49, and 50, respectively.
Massachusetts sailed through the education and health category, getting the number one ranking out of all 50 states. Cost, however, was a sore spot. The state came in at the 44th position for affordability.
Alan Weinstein, Professor Emeritus at Cleveland State University, laid out what states can do to attract new residents and improve livability.
“Adopt and maintain policies that: (1) attract new and keep existing employers that offer good-paying jobs with benefits; (2) adequately fund public education from pre-school through post-graduate; (3) adequately maintain and build as needed transportation infrastructure, including public transit where appropriate; and (4) fund governmental services as adequately as possible while holding tax increases as low as possible.”
Click here to read the study from WalletHub.
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