With around 8.6% of Americans having moved last year, slightly more than the previous year, but still below pre-pandemic levels, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2023’s Best States to Live in, with Maryland coming in 27th between Connecticut (26) and Washington (28). Maryland’s highest ratings came in the Safety (14th) and Education & Health (18th) categories, with its lowest ranking coming in the Affordability category (38th).
To help Americans settle down in the best and most affordable place possible, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 51 key indicators of livability. They range from housing costs and income growth to the education rate and quality of hospitals:
| Top 20 States to Live in America | |
| 1. Massachusetts | 11. Iowa |
| 2. New Jersey | 12. Maine |
| 3. New Hampshire | 13. Illinois |
| 4. New York | 14. Pennsylvania |
| 5. Wyoming | 15. Utah |
| 6. Florida | 16. North Dakota |
| 7. Virginia | 17. Vermont |
| 8. Idaho | 18. Colorado |
| 9. Wisconsin | 19. Montana |
| 10. Minnesota | 20. Kansas |
Best vs. Worst
- Maine has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 1.09, which is 7.7 times less than in Alaska, the state with the most at 8.38.
- New Hampshire has the lowest share of residents living in poverty, 7.40 percent, which is 2.6 times lower than in Mississippi, the state with the highest at 19.40 percent.
- South Dakota has the shortest average commute time, 17 minutes, which is two times shorter than in New York, the state with the longest at 34 minutes.
- Tennessee has the highest quality of roads, 14 percent, which is 5.4 times higher than in Rhode Island, the state with the lowest at 75 percent.
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-live-in/62617
Featured photo is an aerial view of Germantown, MD courtesy of @DronifyDMV