WalletHub names Massachusetts the best state to live in

How did the other New England states fare? Which US state came in dead last and why?

WalletHub gave Massachusetts top marks on health and education. Adobe Stock

August 12, 2024

2 minutes to read

Good news, Bostonians. You’re living in the best state in the nation.

WalletHub gave Massachusetts top billing on its “Best States to Live in (2024)” list because of our “strong healthcare system and high-quality education,” according to the report, which came out Monday.

The state has the fourth-highest high school graduation rate, as well as the third-highest median household income (more than $94,000).

The report also praised the state for maintaining the lowest premature death rate in the country and for having the highest share of residents with health insurance (97.3 percent).

The report noted that the state offers the third-best access to public transportation and third-lowest property crime rate in the country.

WalletHub, a personal finance company, provides a vast array of resources and services, including tools to compare personal loans, improve your credit score, and more. Its analysis compared all 50 states on 51 key indicators of livability spanning five areas: affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety. “Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable living conditions,” the methodology states.

These states made the top 20:

RANK	STATE	TOTAL SCORE
1.	Massachusetts	60.52
2.	Florida	59.82
3.	New Jersey	59.65
4.	Utah	59.58
5.	New Hampshire	59.13
6.	Idaho	58.76
7.	Pennsylvania	58.32
8.	Wisconsin	58.19
9.	New York	58.17
10.	Wyoming	57.99
11.	Virginia	57.93
12.	Iowa	57.51
13.	Minnesota	57.43
14.	Maine	56.52
15.	Montana	56.02
16.	Illinois	55.63
17.	North Dakota	55.02
18.	South Dakota	54.87
19.	Vermont	54.52
20.	Kansas	53.92

Source:WalletHub

Source: WalletHub

New Hampshire was the only other New England state that made it into the Top 10. According to the report, it has the lowest crime rate in the country and came in second for education and health. But under affordability, it slipped to No. 40.

Here’s how all of the New England states fared in the rankings:

STATE	RANK	AFFORD.	ECON.	ED. & HEALTH	QUAL. OF LIFE	SAFETY
Mass.	1	44	15	1	6	7
N.H.	5	40	2	2	38	3
Maine	14	35	5	14	28	13
Vt.	19	43	1	5	45	26
Conn.	22	46	33	3	20	14
R.I.	28	45	14	23	44	8

Source: WalletHub

In terms of individual metrics, New England states snagged four of the top 5 spots for the lowest crime rates: (in order) New Hampshire, Maine, Idaho, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.

Additionally, New Hampshire also had the lowest percentage of population living in property, according to the report. Maine and Vermont ranked second and third in terms of homeownership rate.

On the flip side, Louisiana was ranked the worst state to live in with an overall total score of 41.31. The state took last place for its economy and 48 for health and education. It didn’t do well on safety either, with a rank of 44.