From housing costs to hospital quality, this annual list did the math to rank the most and least desirable states to call home.
WalletHub‘s “Best States to Live In” ranking of 2025 set all 50 states against a lengthy list of 51 indicators — giving a numerical value to the livability of each proud state.
Some things stayed the same in this annual ranking — Massachusetts reigned supreme for the second year in a row, and New York held on to its precarious slot in the top ten. While New Jersey earned itself a spot in the top 5, other states were knocked down a peg.
Massachusetts won thanks to its strong health care system and high-quality education, according to WalletHub. The Northeastern state put up strong numbers for 2025, boasting the lowest premature death rate in the country and a 90% high school graduation rate.
This year’s silver medal traded hands from Florida to Idaho — the Sunshine State dropped several slots from last year, down to sixth place, partially due to high housing costs.
New Jersey remained squarely in third place, thanks to factors like high median household income and low food insecurity. It’s not called the Garden State for nothing.
Big year-to-year shake-ups included Wisconsin earning a No.4 place, as well as Minnesota climbing from 13th to 5th place.
The Empire State remained in ninth place from last year. New York, as any New Yorker will tell you, has plenty to brag about. It ranked first in overall quality of life — a bucket of indicators that included commute times, museums per capita and average weekly hours — and seventh in safety.
To round out the top 10 list — Pennsylvania came in tenth, scoring high on affordability and economy ranking.
When it came to which states have the most restaurants per capita — New York tied with California, Florida and Texas. The high cost of calling New York home, however, remains a drag on the state’s reputation. WalletHub ranked it 47th out of 50 states for affordability.
WalletHub’s ranking, of course, is not the final word on where to call home. The high proportion of renters to owners in New York City, for example, weighs down the state’s overall showing.
New York ranked 50th for its low rate of homeownership — a heavily weighted WalletHub indicator.
New Mexico found itself at the very bottom of the 2025 “Best and Worst” list. The Southwestern home state, known for snowy mountain peaks and inspiring desert landscapes, suffered from the country’s highest crime rate — although Washington ranked 50th in the overall safety category — and one of its highest poverty rates.
Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alaska took up the rest of the bottom five slots, all hindered by variously poor performances in key indicators like income growth, crime and poverty rates.
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