The 10 Best States To Live In America For 2023

The 10 Best States To Live In The United States For 2023

1. New Hampshire

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 2023. Is that a surprise? Possibly for everyone who lives outside of New Hampshire, it is. This is the third year in a row NH claimed this mantle.

New Hampshire just kicks butt in many ways. To start, 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. It doesn't cost an arm and a leg to live here; people are educated and really healthy. The only setback for youth is the high cost of getting a college degree, but there are lots of jobs in the area when you're done. 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, if you live in New Hampshire, you're likely a pretty happy camper.

Population: 1,372,175
Rank Last Year: 2 (Up 1)
Median Income: $83,449 (Seventh best)
Median Home Value: $288,700 (14th best)
More On New Hampshire: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

2. Massachusetts

Massachusetts is an awesome place to live. Households bring in over $74,000 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.

Population: 6,991,852
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Median Income: $89,026 (Third best)
Median Home Value: $424,700 (Third best)
More On Massachusetts: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

3. Hawaii

Our next stop is truly an island paradise. We're heading to Hawaii! Hawaii ranks as the third best state to call home for 2023. 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 $690,000. 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.

Population: 1,453,498
Rank Last Year: 3 (No Change)
Median Income: $88,005 (Fourth best)
Median Home Value: $662,100 (First best)
More On Hawaii: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

4. New Jersey

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 $76,000 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.

Population: 9,234,024
Rank Last Year: 4 (No Change)
Median Income: $89,703 (Second best)
Median Home Value: $355,700 (Seventh best)
More On New Jersey: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

5. Connecticut

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.

Population: 3,605,330
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 1)
Median Income: $83,572 (Sixth best)
Median Home Value: $286,700 (15th best)
More On Connecticut: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

6. Rhode Island

Rhode Island, our sixth 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 14th 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.

Population: 1,091,949
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $74,489 (15th best)
Median Home Value: $292,600 (13th best)
More On Rhode Island: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

7. Virginia

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.

Population: 8,582,479
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 1)
Median Income: $80,615 (Ninth best)
Median Home Value: $295,500 (12th best)
More On Virginia: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

8. Maryland

Rounding out the top ten best states for 2023 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 $78,000 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 42.00000000000001% 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.

Population: 6,148,545
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 3)
Median Income: $91,431 (First best)
Median Home Value: $338,500 (Tenth best)
More On Maryland: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

9. Vermont

Vermont is a great place to live for completely different reasons. Crime here is really low; Vermont is the fifth 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.

Population: 641,637
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Median Income: $67,674 (21st best)
Median Home Value: $240,600 (23rd best)
More On Vermont: Biggest Cities | Photos

10. Minnesota

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 $63,000 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.

Population: 5,670,472
Rank Last Year: 10 (No Change)
Median Income: $77,706 (13th best)
Median Home Value: $250,200 (21st best)
More On Minnesota: Biggest Cities | Photos | Average Rent

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 as many relevant criteria as possible to get the best states. Using FBI crime data and the most recent 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we choose:

• 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 2023, New Hampshire.

If you'd like to see the complete list of states, from best to worst, scroll to the bottom of this post.

Note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the states. This list is based on data. It's also not a testament to the effectiveness of local law enforcement.

We updated this article for 2023. This is our tenth time ranking the best states to live in America