(NEXSTAR) – Are you looking to move? Picking a new place can be tricky, especially if you’re considering a different state. A new report may help make your decision a little easier – or even convince you to stay in the state you’re already in.
Reviewing dozens of metrics across five key dimensions – affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety – personal finance site WalletHub analyzed all 50 states to determine which are the best – and worst – states to live in. An overall score was then assigned to each state based on those metrics.
States in New England and the Midwest ranked toward the top of the list while states in the southern portion of the country landed toward the bottom.
Taking the top spot was Massachusetts, which scored highly in terms of education and health, quality of life, safety, and economy, but was among the worst states for affordability. The second and third-ranked states – New Jersey and New York, respectively – also had low affordability scores.
Rounding out the top 10 best states were Idaho, Virginia, New Hampshire, Florida, Wyoming, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Alternatively, the study’s authors ranked Mississippi as the worst state to live in. While it was considered one of the more affordable states, it scored poorly across the four other dimensions.
The nine other states landing in the bottom 10, following Mississippi, were Alaska, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Alabama, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
You can see how your state ranked here:
While Alabama landed toward the bottom, it received the best affordability score in this study. California received the worst score. North Dakota was found to have the best economy, Massachusetts the best education and health, New York the best quality of life, and New Jersey the best safety.
Of the 10 best states to live in, three were recently ranked among the best to have a baby in – Massachusetts again topped out the list. Seven of the worst states to live in were also among the worst to have a baby in – Alabama was the worst, followed by Mississippi.
A study released earlier this year found four of the best states to live in – New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Minnesota – had among the longest life expectancies, all greater than 80 years old. Seven of the worst-ranked states had the lowest life expectancies: Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.