You might think people across the nation love where they live. After all, you wouldn’t spend your life somewhere that you truly didn’t love. Right?
Not always. In fact, a Pew Research Center study not too long ago determined that almost half of Americans would rather live somewhere else than they do now.
Well, if you’re in one of the states we’re about to highlight, we don’t blame you for wanting to move.
Or, if you live in the south, for wanting to run away as fast as you possibly can.
On the map
The worst states in America, mapped
Source: HomeSnacks
New Mexico is, by far, the worst state in the entire country for 2026, according to this scientific analysis. Sorry to break the news to you folks out there in the Land of Enchantment. This is the fifth year in a row New Mexico took the “top spot”. That’s not great for those playing at home.
New Mexico sees more break-ins, armed robbery, and theft than anywhere else. There’s a saying there, “If it’s not bolted down, someone’s going to take it, unless you put a sign that says FREE on it.” With a staggering 66% of children finishing high school in New Mexico, their education system suffers year after year. 16% of New Mexicans age 16 and older have a reading level of 1 out of 5, which is equivalent to barely being able to read a book meant for grade school kids. There’s a huge wealth gap in New Mexico, and wages are really low, meaning there aren’t a lot of opportunities.
When you look at the numbers, overall, New Mexico ranks toward the bottom in just about every statistical category you can measure . Are there any good things about living in New Mexico? Probably.
Folks in Louisiana are really singing the blues these days. That’s because things aren’t going so well for many of them. It’s a mess down here, to be honest. Louisiana ranks in the bottom ten in 8 of 11 categories measured. It’s fourth in crime, fourth in uninsured residents, fourth in poverty, third in income levels, and Louisianans are the least educated people in America. Factor in the worst sales tax structure and some of the highest local sales taxes in the entire country, and it’s whoo whee hard to make ends meet here.
Now before you get all down on Louisiana, you should know that the Pelican State is actually full of some REALLY friendly and giving people. The Cajun Navy is a bright spot here – whenever something goes wrong in Louisiana, you can bet the first people on the scene will be neighbors and strangers. Plus, there’s crawfish everywhere here! You can get crawfish jello, crawfish beer, crawfish peanut butter, crawfish cereal, crawfish ice cream, crawfish spice lattes…
While Arkansas doesn’t place last in a number of categories like Mississippi does, it’s worse off in more of them overall. They’re just about as poor as folks in Mississippi, but it’s even more dangerous in Arkansas than it is in Mississippi. Like other southern states on our list, it’s a poor place with little opportunity. Although, to be fair, some of the gun shots that ring out in Arkansas every day may not be due to crime.
Now, what’s interesting about Arkansas is that the Natural State ranked 10th in the nation for happiest states, according to a national poll that was conducted last year. So, statistics aside, people here don’t really seem to care a lick. There are some bright spots here. For fun, you could join an outhouse racing league, or join in on some spontaneous hog calls.
Coming in as the fourth worst state in America for 2026 is Nevada. Why is Nevada so second-rate? First off, Nevada has the nation’s 16th highest violent crime rate in the country. Part of that might be due to the state’s poor worker pool – outside of Las Vegas, there aren’t many employed people. In fact, Nevada has America’s highest unemployment rate, and our nation’s least number of college graduates.
And to top it off, Nevada has one of the highest rates of domestic violence by men against women in all of the US.
Now, let’s be fair and look at the bright side of living in Nevada. Well, for starters, you could go and watch Britney or Gaga every night if you wanted to. That’s cool. And you don’t have to pay income tax in Nevada – instead, the state pays for all of THIS with gambling money! 71% of Nevada’s state budget comes from people like you and me. And if you own a business here in Nevada, you don’t have to pay corporate tax, either. That means you can cook the books all you want and no one will ever know.
So, while Nevada might be a hot, boring place with no real soul (sorry, Nevada), there are a handful of advantages to living here if you look closely.
You knew we were going to mention Oklahoma SOONER or later, right? The fifth worst state for 2026 goes to Oklahoma. Where do we begin, Oklahoma? First off, the population of Oklahoma isn’t insured – this state ranks 14th lowest in number of people with medical insurance. Considering that 43% of Okies carry guns, it might be surprising that this state has America’s 13th highest property crime rate. Robbers must just like taking their chances here.
Now, while people might say they love the cost of living in Oklahoma, the fact that this state has America’s fourth lowest home values is a sign that there isn’t a lot of desire to live here, plain and simple. Another interesting fact: Oklahoma has the most women in their prison system than any other state. Some tough broads in the Sooner state. And, to top if off, Oklahomans eat the least number of fruits and veggies of anywhere else.
Now, Oklahomans aren’t ALL all bad. Oklahomans are actually known as awful friendly folk who love living in wide open spaces.
You know the saying. There’s Nashville and there’s the rest of Tennessee. According to science, both are undesirable. Incomes are the tenth lowest in America, which means lots of Tennesseans are living in poverty, and many struggle to find decent jobs outside of the booming capital of Nashville. Part of that is due to a population that ranks in the bottom 10 for education.
Tennessee is top in the nation for number of immunize dresidents, which is good – or bad, depending on if you’re an anti-vaxxer. But most importantly, in Tennessee, crime is remarkably bad. Did you know Tennessee has the nation’s third highest violent rate? Memphis, in particular, is a real mess. It consistently ranks as one of the most destitute, dangerous dives in the country. Memphis is so bad, that even Google Street view doesn’t go down many of its streets, many of which are near Graceland.
But, have you ever had a Goo Goo Cluster? They were invented in and manufactured in Tennessee. They’re delectable, and there’s even Goo Goo Ice Cream. Once you have some, you’ll be goo goo for goo goo.
Alaska finds itself as the seventh worst place to live in America for 2026. The northern most, and western most, state in the country has higher than average crime, unemployment, and poverty. The schools aren’t great and the cost of living is actually pretty high given that everything has to be shipped up north.
And while we don’t analyze the weather for this analysis, it’s safe to say that the state as a whole doesn’t fair on to well on that metric either. That poor weather and lack of sunshine probably has something to do with the highest rate of violent crime in the US.
So any way you slice it, it takes a certain kind of person to want to live in The Last Frontier state. And, for the most part, you’d probably want to live somewhere else in America.
South Carolina, the butt of North Carolina, has pretty big problem when it comes to crime. That’s the leading cause of its eighth place ranking for 2026. Surprisingly, South Carolina has the 11th worst property crime in the nation. You have a 1 in 70 chance of being the victim of a property crime for every year you spend in the Palmetto State. South Carolina is also the 4th worst place in America for online dating – so if you’re looking for love here, swipe at your own risk.
Other factors that were a problem – very high poverty rates and America’s ninth lowest income levels. This state ranks first for number of mobile home parks per capita, too. Which is really bad news during hurricane season.
But there are reasons to be proud of living in South Carolina. Clemson has won the college football title several times in the past years – congrats to the Tigers. Then there’s the boiled peanut stands on every highway offramp. Boiled peanuts are like regular peanuts, but they’re boiled. And lastly, the beach communities are some of the best on the east coast, where people come from all over the world to play golf and vacation.
The verdict
So what’s the worst state in America for 2026?
What’s the worst state in America for 2026? It turns out New Mexico is the worst state to live in the country. New Mexico is having a rough week since we also just named it one of the most dangerous states in America for 2026.
The purpose of this study is to use science to determine which of our great American states are the absolute worst. While unbiased, this research does take into account factors that almost all Americans would agree are undesirable.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your state ranked. Or check out more on the worst cities to live in America.
Saturday Night Science
How We Determined The Worst States In The US For 2026
To rank the worst states to live in the United States, we used Saturday Night Science to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn’t a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, great weather, things to do, and a stable economy.
Using FBI crime data, Zillow, and the most recent 2020-2024 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower, the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low Median Income
- Low Home Values
- Low Levels of College Education
- A lot of uninsured people
- High Crime
- High poverty
We then ranked each state from 1 to 50 for the criteria, with a #1 ranking being the worst for the particular criteria. Next, we averaged the rankings into one “Worst Place To Live Index.”
Finally, we ranked every state on the “Worst Place To Live Index,” with the lowest index being the Worst State To Live in the United States for 2026, New Mexico.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, from worst to best, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the abridged chart. This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2026. This list is our eleventh time ranking the worst states in America. We get the crime numbers from the FBI. It’s not a testament to the effectiveness of local law enforcement.
The full plate
All 50 states, ranked worst to best
Click any column to sort. Search by state name.
| Rank | State | Worst Score | Population | Median income | Average home price | Crime per capita | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico | 5.00 | 2,120,246 | $64,059 | $316,750 | 0 | 6.0% |
| 2 | Louisiana | 6.67 | 4,611,961 | $60,756 | $211,635 | 0 | 6.3% |
| 3 | Arkansas | 10.67 | 3,049,391 | $60,773 | $222,050 | 0 | 4.9% |
| 4 | Nevada | 13.22 | 3,184,612 | $78,260 | $446,865 | 0 | 7.0% |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 13.22 | 4,028,634 | $65,039 | $220,468 | 0 | 5.0% |
| 6 | Tennessee | 14.17 | 7,066,383 | $69,595 | $333,651 | 0 | 4.7% |
| 7 | Alaska | 15.11 | 735,706 | $92,788 | $387,636 | 0 | 5.9% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 15.72 | 5,296,225 | $69,324 | $304,083 | 0 | 4.9% |
| 9 | Texas | 15.78 | 30,188,424 | $78,476 | $300,957 | 0 | 5.3% |
| 10 | Oregon | 15.78 | 4,254,293 | $83,011 | $499,004 | 0 | 5.4% |
| 11 | Kansas | 16.44 | 2,947,197 | $74,275 | $244,761 | 0 | 3.9% |
| 12 | Colorado | 16.56 | 5,862,189 | $95,470 | $541,842 | 0 | 4.6% |
| 13 | Missouri | 16.89 | 6,191,814 | $70,702 | $263,040 | 0 | 4.0% |
| 14 | Washington | 19.44 | 7,816,116 | $98,141 | $601,016 | 0 | 5.1% |
| 15 | California | 19.44 | 39,287,377 | $99,122 | $774,582 | 0 | 6.6% |
| 16 | North Carolina | 20.67 | 10,730,404 | $72,388 | $336,408 | 0 | 4.7% |
| 17 | Arizona | 20.78 | 7,378,838 | $79,964 | $423,330 | 0 | 5.1% |
| 18 | Montana | 22.56 | 1,116,875 | $72,509 | $466,917 | 0 | 3.6% |
| 19 | Alabama | 22.56 | 5,086,768 | $63,999 | $236,453 | 0 | 4.7% |
| 20 | Maryland | 23.67 | 6,206,011 | $103,678 | $429,705 | 0 | 4.9% |
| 21 | Georgia | 23.78 | 10,940,407 | $77,353 | $332,063 | 0 | 5.1% |
| 22 | Michigan | 24.22 | 10,077,761 | $72,875 | $259,857 | 0 | 5.7% |
| 23 | South Dakota | 24.56 | 907,428 | $75,081 | $317,148 | 0 | 2.9% |
| 24 | Illinois | 24.56 | 12,694,798 | $83,390 | $285,736 | 0 | 5.8% |
| 25 | Delaware | 25.11 | 1,021,191 | $84,954 | $402,891 | 0 | 5.1% |
| 26 | North Dakota | 25.44 | 784,841 | $76,657 | $284,076 | 0 | 2.8% |
| 27 | New York | 25.44 | 19,852,366 | $85,974 | $507,794 | 0 | 6.4% |
| 28 | Mississippi | 26.44 | 2,946,779 | $56,447 | $192,906 | 0 | 5.8% |
| 29 | Ohio | 26.78 | 11,810,293 | $71,389 | $242,141 | 0 | 4.8% |
| 30 | Nebraska | 27.11 | 1,978,707 | $76,475 | $276,500 | 0 | 3.0% |
| 31 | West Virginia | 28.33 | 1,778,373 | $59,608 | $174,412 | 0 | 5.4% |
| 32 | Indiana | 29.11 | 6,851,073 | $71,957 | $254,122 | 0 | 4.3% |
| 33 | Minnesota | 29.33 | 5,739,445 | $89,062 | $346,668 | 0 | 4.1% |
| 34 | Kentucky | 29.89 | 4,534,824 | $63,726 | $231,894 | 0 | 4.9% |
| 35 | Hawaii | 31.00 | 1,445,235 | $100,389 | $832,967 | 0 | 4.9% |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | 31.44 | 13,018,639 | $77,971 | $282,736 | 0 | 5.3% |
| 37 | Florida | 31.44 | 22,416,077 | $74,568 | $375,662 | 0 | 4.8% |
| 38 | Iowa | 31.67 | 3,210,507 | $75,059 | $231,585 | 0 | 3.6% |
| 39 | Vermont | 32.22 | 647,106 | $81,203 | $394,038 | 0 | 3.6% |
| 40 | Wyoming | 34.44 | 582,397 | $76,176 | $363,227 | 0 | 3.7% |
| 41 | Virginia | 35.00 | 8,705,170 | $93,170 | $412,467 | 0 | 4.3% |
| 42 | Utah | 35.44 | 3,392,331 | $95,166 | $537,810 | 0 | 3.6% |
| 43 | Wisconsin | 36.89 | 5,914,872 | $77,485 | $330,171 | 0 | 3.2% |
| 44 | New Jersey | 37.44 | 9,343,809 | $103,556 | $569,411 | 0 | 6.3% |
| 45 | Maine | 37.78 | 1,387,817 | $74,733 | $407,566 | 0 | 3.8% |
| 46 | Idaho | 38.89 | 1,934,262 | $77,800 | $473,335 | 0 | 3.7% |
| 47 | Connecticut | 39.00 | 3,624,508 | $95,781 | $436,407 | 0 | 5.6% |
| 48 | Massachusetts | 40.89 | 7,044,056 | $103,960 | $656,690 | 0 | 5.2% |
| 49 | Rhode Island | 41.67 | 1,101,801 | $87,796 | $499,272 | 0 | 5.8% |
| 50 | New Hampshire | 45.33 | 1,394,868 | $99,031 | $507,347 | 0 | 3.3% |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024, FBI crime data, Zillow research.
There You Have It — The Worst States In The Country
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the worst states in the US is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing states with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and bad weather, this is an accurate list.
The worst states in the US are are New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alaska, South Carolina, Texas, and Oregon.
If you’re curious enough, here are the best states in the USA, according to science. Apparently, things are ‘all that’ when it comes to northeast America:
