12 Least Livable States: 2024

A new study by WalletHub, a personal finance website, finds that every state has benefits and disadvantages for Americans who are considering relocating. However, some states stand out for the benefits they offer, while others are less inviting because of their drawbacks. Financial factors, such as job availability, housing prices and cost of living, should be movers' first consideration, according to WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe. "Many states have strong economies, though," Happe said, "so you should also consider a wide variety of other factors, such as how where you live will impact your health and safety, and whether you will have adequate access to activities that you enjoy. If you have children, a robust education system is also key." In order to identify the best and worst places to live, WalletHub compared the 50 states across these key dimensions:

• Affordability, including cost of living, housing affordability and median annual household income
• Economy, including job opportunities, median debt per median earnings, foreclosure rate and food insecurity
• Education and health, including high school graduation rate, share of population 25 and older with a high school diploma, share of obese adults and quality of public hospital system
• Quality of life, including weather, access to public transportation, air quality and museums and performing arts centers per capita
• Safety, including total law-enforcement employees per capita, violent- and property-crime rates and traffic-related fatalities per capita

Researchers evaluated those dimensions using 51 relevant metrics and graded each one on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable living conditions. See the accompanying gallery for the 12 worst states to live in. (Credit: Adobe Stock)