Choosing where to put down roots remains one of the most consequential decisions Americans face. Housing costs, job prospects, schools, safety and everyday quality of life all compete for attention. WalletHub’s latest ranking of the best states to live in, released August 10, 2026, tries to cut through the noise by scoring every state on 51 indicators across affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety.
Idaho claimed the top spot with an overall score of 60.15. New Jersey followed at 59.41, then Wisconsin at 59.32, Massachusetts at 59.28, and New Hampshire at 58.89. The results highlight how different strengths can produce similar outcomes. Idaho excelled in safety and income growth. New Jersey delivered strong health outcomes and public safety despite high housing costs. Wisconsin combined solid schooling with relatively affordable homes.
Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst, put the decision in practical terms: “When deciding on a place to move, you should first consider financial factors like the cost of living, housing prices and job availability. Many states have strong economies, though, 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.”
Idaho’s win rests on several concrete advantages. The state records one of the lowest median real estate tax rates in the country at 0.5 percent and ranks eighth for homeownership. It also posts the highest median household income growth and the lowest property crime rate. Commute times stay short thanks to limited interstate congestion. Those factors helped offset a middle-of-the-pack ranking for quality of life.
New Jersey ranked first in safety and ninth in quality of life. Residents there report the third-highest median household income, nearly $104,000, and the second-lowest median debt relative to earnings. The state also shows the second-lowest premature death rate, the third-lowest obesity rate, and strong life expectancy. High numbers of law enforcement officers per capita and abundant trails and fitness centers contribute to those results.
Wisconsin finished third by balancing affordability with education and safety. Housing remains relatively attainable, the high school graduation rate exceeds 96 percent, and the unemployment rate ranks among the nation’s lowest. Property crime stays low, and health insurance coverage reaches 94.8 percent of residents.
Massachusetts placed fourth largely on the strength of its education and health metrics, where it ranked first overall. New Hampshire rounded out the top five with a second-place economy ranking and a fourth-place safety score.
At the other end of the list, New Mexico ranked last with a score of 41.42. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska and Arkansas filled out the bottom five. These states generally struggled with combinations of higher poverty, weaker health outcomes or elevated crime rates.
The ranking also surfaces sharp contrasts on individual measures. New Hampshire has the lowest share of residents living in poverty while Mississippi ranks near the top. Idaho leads income growth while Wyoming sits at the bottom. California offers the most restaurants per capita; Alaska has the fewest. Crime rates remain lowest in New Hampshire and Idaho and highest in New Mexico and Colorado.
WalletHub weighted affordability at 20 points, with the remaining categories sharing the rest of the 100-point scale. Metrics ranged from housing costs and homeownership rates to school quality, hospital access, commute times, restaurants per capita, and both violent and property crime. Each indicator was scored on a 100-point scale before the weighted average produced the final ranking.
No single state dominates every category. Idaho’s affordability and safety edge helped it finish first even though it ranked 31st for quality of life. New Jersey’s high housing costs pushed its affordability rank to 49th, yet strong performances elsewhere lifted it to second. That trade-off is the point of the exercise. Prospective movers still need to match the data against personal priorities, whether those center on lower taxes, better schools, outdoor access or shorter drives.
The 2026 list arrives as many Americans continue to reassess where they want to live. Remote work has loosened the traditional link between job and address for some households, while others remain tightly bound to local labor markets. Either way, the WalletHub numbers offer a structured starting point rather than a final answer. Idaho currently sits at the top of the leaderboard, but the factors that put it there will matter most to people whose own priorities align with those same strengths.