The 10 Best States To Live In America For 2024

The 10 Best States To Live In The United States For 2024

1. New Hampshire

Population: 1,379,610
Median Income: $90,845 (Sixth best)
Average Home Price: $448,250 (Tenth best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0123
More On New Hampshire: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

It was close, but New Hampshire finished a tad bit ahead of Massachusetts when it comes to the best state to live in America for 2024. Is that a surprise? For everyone who lives outside of New Hampshire, it is. This result is the fourth year in a row NH claimed this mantle.

New Hampshire kicks butt in many ways. Crime is the lowest in the country. When you look at the number of people killed in each state, it’s pretty telling. California is way up here, and New Hampshire is way down here. There’s 130x less violence in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire also has the nation’s first least number of people living in poverty. That’s a sign people are self-reliant and independent. Living here doesn’t cost an arm and a leg; people are educated and healthy. The only setback for youth is the high cost of getting a college degree, but there are many jobs in the area. The unemployment rate here is basically zero.

No place is perfect; while there’s no income tax here, property taxes are through the roof.

Add it all up (other factors included), and you can’t find a better place to live than in the Granite State. Overall, you’re likely a pretty happy camper if you live in New Hampshire.

2. Massachusetts

Population: 6,984,205
Median Income: $96,505 (Third best)
Average Home Price: $589,253 (Third best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0134
More On Massachusetts: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Massachusetts is an awesome place to live. Households bring in over $96,505 a year, which isn’t too shabby.

Homes are some of the most expensive in the country. That’s a good sign that the overall economy in the Bay State is stable, and there’s demand to live there. As economists, we know that home prices are the single biggest determinant of demand to live in a place and high home prices mean a lot of demand for this Northeastern state.

Massachusetts is also one of the most densely pact states in the county (3rd most), so there’s plenty to do in a short drive.

3. Hawaii

Population: 1,450,589
Median Income: $94,814 (Fourth best)
Average Home Price: $830,193 (First best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0259
More On Hawaii: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Our next stop is truly an island paradise. We’re heading to Hawaii! Hawaii ranks as the third best state to call home for 2024. There’s lots things that make Hawaii a great state. Hawaii gets an A-plus by CNBC for it’s latest quality of life score, citing clean air, a ton of things to do, and really low crime rates. Plus, there’s rainbows everywhere.

And amazing beaches.

It’s expensive to live in Hawaii, sure. Home prices are the highest in the land – the average Hawaiian home costs over $830,193. You get what you pay for though – there’s beauty around every corner, and most residents live a healthy, safe life, according to the numbers. Everyone wants to live here, as you can tell by the astronomically high home prices. That also means a lot of well educated folks call Hawaii home.

The state does not appear higher on the list because of a bit of a crime problem relative to the rest of the top ten, but nothing to sneeze at.

4. New Jersey

Population: 9,249,063
Median Income: $97,126 (Second best)
Average Home Price: $495,846 (Seventh best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0130
More On New Jersey: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Growing up in New Jersey, I would have told you it’s the best state, but I’ll settle for #4. What other state can elicit a cheer from every native across the bar?

New Jersey residents are some of the wealthiest in the country; families here earn about $97,126 a year. It’s pretty safe in New Jersey, as a whole. And you’d be hard pressed to find a state with a better funded and managed public school system. At least for now.

The downside? It’s the most densely populated place in the state, and commute times are longer than almost anywhere else. That’s even taking into account the long stretches in Jersey where there are more cows than people.

5. Rhode Island

Population: 1,094,250
Median Income: $81,370 (15th best)
Average Home Price: $436,519 (13th best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0143
More On Rhode Island: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Rhode Island, our fifth best state to live in America. Now, here in Rhode Island, the statistics are pretty solid. This is the seventh safest state you can live in, based on violent and property crimes per capita. It’s also fourth in terms of number of residents who have medical coverage, and 16th in terms of secondary education.

What’s also interesting about Rhode Island is that it is the 2nd most densely populated state in America. Some might say that’s bad – they want wide open spaces. However, Rhode Island’s commute times are about average, nothing like in nearby New York and New Jersey. That means while there are people all over here, it’s not overly crowded. Having things to do, and social activities was part of what we measured.

Did you know Rhode Island has more donuts per person than any other state? That’s right. There’s donut shops everywhere here. You could get practically any type of donut on your short drive to work each day.

Rhode Island has a lot to boast about.

6. Vermont

Population: 643,816
Median Income: $74,014 (19th best)
Average Home Price: $384,154 (19th best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0135
More On Vermont: Biggest Cities

Vermont is a great place to live for completely different reasons. Crime here is really low; Vermont is the sixth safest state you can live in. (New Mexico is the most dangerous). There were only 10 murders in Vermont in all of last year. In Chicago, that many people get shot at one party!

If you value a good public school education, then Vermont is your place. The schools here are well funded, and just about the least crowded that you’ll find in the country. That’s not a surprise, since just more than a half million people live in the entire state. Vermont also ranks as the third best place for health insurance, too. Which means people here are healthy as a clam stuck in the mud.

And finally, Vermont has the beautiful Lake Champlain, one of the most picturesque places in the country. People in Vermont are like: Stop saying we’re awesome. We don’t want any more people moving here!” Sorry, Vermont, you’re just so likable.

7. Connecticut

Population: 3,611,317
Median Income: $90,213 (Eighth best)
Average Home Price: $381,629 (20th best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0172
More On Connecticut: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Connecticut misses the top three for the first time in a while. Connecticut families are some of the wealthiest in the country, no doubt. But when you factor in the cost of living, those salaries don’t go quite as far here as they would in other states.

Homes sell quickly here, and there are less vacant housing units in Connecticut than any other state. That’s a very positive sign for the Constitution State. Connecticuters are also very educated. There are only three other states with bigger brains than here. The public schools are great here — perhaps a little overcrowded, but not too bad.

And it’s one of the least dangerous states in the country as well. Connecticut ranks as the tenth safest, in terms of annual crimes, and fourth lowest for violent crimes.

However, they certainly aren’t spending all that money on the roads, nor are the highways in Connecticut safe. The Pothole State was voted as having the nation’s worst roads. Half of them are considered in disrepair on any given year. Drivers can be selfish, and the wealthy people in Connecticut are sorta snobby. Guess you just have to have thick skin to live here.

Plus, we discovered that if you like people with fresh breath, Connecticut is your place. Connecticuters have the cleanest teeth in all the land. Definitely something to be proud of.

8. Maryland

Population: 6,161,707
Median Income: $98,461 (First best)
Average Home Price: $404,251 (16th best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0198
More On Maryland: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Rounding out the top ten best states for 2024 is Maryland. Sunshine on your shoulders can make you happy. It’s been proven. And in Maryland, the sun shines a lot. Some of the best places include Mount Airy and Bowie, while not exactly known names, they beat Baltimore handily.

Maryland families command the highest salaries in the U.S. with more than $98,461 a year combined income. In addition to the great public schools in Maryland, residents are some of the most educated in the country. A staggering 42% of adults have completed college which ranks as the third best in the country.

So overall, Maryland is a pretty great place to live according to the numbers.

9. Virginia

Population: 8,624,511
Median Income: $87,249 (Tenth best)
Average Home Price: $371,544 (22nd best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0166
More On Virginia: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Virginia took a bit of a hit this year as it’s a bit too close to the swamp that is DC to maintain a higher position in the pantheon of best states.

Virginia and Maryland are just about the wealthiest states in the country. We’re not saying that money is the cure-all for happiness, but it sure does help a lot. And you might be surprised to hear that Virginia is actually the eighth least dangerous state in the country. That’s according to the latest FBI statistics, which measure violent and property crimes per capita.

The public schools in Virginia are above average and they are some of the least crowded you’ll find. The only real category where Virginia did poorly is insured residents as over 10% of residents lack coverage.

10. Minnesota

Population: 5,695,292
Median Income: $84,313 (13th best)
Average Home Price: $324,667 (25th best)
Total Crime Per Capita: 0.0239
More On Minnesota: Biggest Cities | Average Rent

Minnesota moved up a spot to the seventh best states to live in America. Overall in Minnesota, people work pretty hard and have good values. The unemployment rate is the fourth lowest in America, and for darn good reason — there’s pride in work.

Minnesota is part of what we refer to as the ‘nidwest’ — for northern midwest. And when you look at the numbers, the nidwest rocks when it comes to livability, second only to the northeast. In Minnesota, families earn about $84,313 a year, which is one of the highest numbers in the nation. And not only do they live relatively comfortable lives, folks in Minnesota are a lot safer than most other states, too. Houses are selling faster than in most other states.

The only knock on Minnesota is of course, the weather. Minnesota winters were actually voted as the worst in America. There are long stretches in Minnesota when you’re trapped at home. You can’t even get your car doors open, much less drive through all the snow.

Minnesota thinks it should be first in America. That’s a little aggressive, Minnesota. You’re pretty cool, but not THAT cool.

Methodology: How to determine the best states in the US

To rank the best states to live in the United States, we had to determine what criteria people like about a state. It is reasonable to assume that people like low crime, solid education, insurance, things to do, and a stable economy.

We used Saturday Night Science to compare these criteria across every state in the country. We used FBI crime data, Zillow home price data, and the most recent 2018-2022 American Community Survey, to rank the following criteria for each state:

• High population density
• Low unemployment rates
• High median income
• High home values
• High levels of college education
• High levels of insured people
• Low crime
• Low poverty

We then ranked each state from 1 to 50 for the criteria, with a #1 ranking being the best for the particular criteria. Next, we averaged the rankings into one “Best Place To Live Index.”

Finally, we ranked every state on the “Best Place To Live Index,” with the lowest index being the Best State To Live in America for 2024, New Hampshire.

We updated this article for 2024. This list is our tenth time ranking the best states to live in America. If you’d like to see the complete list of states, from best to worst, scroll to the bottom of this post.