The Best State To Live In Right Now
Is a Huge Surprise:
Can You Guess?
As COVID-19 restrictions finally ease up, many Americans are reassessing how they want to live their life—and where. So if you’re hankering to move (or wondering how your current digs rank), a new study has some answers.
Personal finance site WalletHub has released its rankings of the best (and worst) states to live in, assessing all 50 states on a variety of critical aspects, including affordability (determined by median home prices, household incomes, property taxes, and other factors), education (quality of public schools, graduation rates), safety (violent crime and traffic fatalities), and overall quality of life (which touches on commuting times, number of bike trails, public transportation access, and more).
And top honors for the best state to live is New Jersey!
You heard that right, Jersey. Surprised?
Granted, the Garden State does seem like an odd top dog, and not just due to the questionable antics seen on “Jersey Shore.” This state can’t exactly brag about its natural beauty, awe-inspiring architecture, gorgeous year-round weather, or budget-friendliness. (It does have nice beaches, however.)
Even the experts were a little taken aback that Jersey landed in first place.
“New Jersey topping the other states was a bit surprising, as it’s pretty well-known this state has high real estate taxes and an overall lack of affordability,” says Jill Gonzalez, an analyst at WalletHub. However, “New Jersey is also a place that comes with a sense of ‘you get what you pay for’ - as in, it’s a very safe state that ranks highly in terms of education, health care, and quality of life.”
In fact, the Northeast is well-represented by the very best states to live in, with Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania all making it into the top 10.
Check out the full ranking of best states to live in below.
The 10 best states to live in
New Jersey
Massachusetts
New York
Idaho
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Utah
New Hampshire
Iowa
Pennsylvania
“Another important factor to weigh is the level of recovery from the effects of the pandemic, as this would be an indication of the potential to earn a higher income and enjoy a better quality of life,” says Mattias Hoelzlein, assistant professor of economics at Notre Dame and a member of WalletHub’s expert panel.
By: https://www.realtor.com
