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Virginia ranked No. 1 as the most welcoming state for immigrants, while Arizona was named the worst, according to the study from SmileHub. The report evaluated states on 17 key factors, including the share of immigrants, job opportunities, and legal protections.
The study was released as concerns rise over the Trump administration's crackdown on undocumented migrants, which is also increasing fears among immigrants legally in the US.
"Over 51 million immigrants live and work in the US, but not every state provides the same environment and living conditions necessary for them to thrive," wrote Luke Powers from SmileHub.
Virginia topped the list thanks to its top 10 finishes in the social and economic environment ranks. The state was also 14th in the legal environment & stability detractors rank, which includes factors like the "State Laws on Immigration Enforcement" score, crime rates, and hate crime incidents per capita.
Maryland finished in seventh place overall, boosted by its fourth-place finish in the social environment & support rank, which was created from metrics like the share of immigrants, a "State Kindness" ranking, and unaccompanied children released to sponsors per capita.
New Jersey ranked ninth, standing out with the second-highest share of immigrants in the country and third-best ranking for state laws protecting immigrants. SmileHub did find that the Garden State has the most hate crimes per capita.
New York came in 13th overall but took the top spot in the social environment & support rank. The Empire State has the second-most community support charities per capita and the third-highest share of immigrants.
Pennsylvania, ranking No. 16 overall, landed in the middle for economic conditions but finished seventh in the legal environment & stability detractors rank. The Keystone State ranked third nationwide for community support charities per capita.
Connecticut finished in the back half of the rankings in 28th place despite a strong fifth-place finish in the legal environment rank. However, the Constitution State has the fifth-worse economic environment rank and the fifth-fewest community support charities in the country.
Massachusetts was also in the bottom half at 30th overall, held down by its fourth-worst economic environment. The Bay State also has the third-highest rate of hate crimes per capita.
SmileHub compiled the rankings using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the FBI, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the IRS, Administration for Children & Families, KFF, Kindness.org, The Council for Community and Economic Research, WalletHub, and Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
You can click here to see the full SmileHub study on the best states for immigrants.
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