A new study found that Massachusetts ranks second in its list of Top States to Live In.
The study, conducted by WalletHub.com, uses 52 metrics to compile an overall score for each state from one to 100. Massachusetts, with the second highest, scored a 62.6.
The researchers sorted each metric into five key dimensions which each equally contributed to the overall score. In those dimensions, Massachusetts ranked:
- 5th – Health and Education
- 5th – Safety
- 7th in Quality of Life
- 32nd – Economy
- 49th – Affordability
Metrics within these dimensions are weighted differently in the study. Scroll down to see the ranking of Massachusetts in all 52 of those individual metrics.
Researchers found most states in and around New England ranked highly:
State |
Rank |
Score |
New Jersey |
1 |
63.01 |
Massachusetts |
2 |
62.60 |
New York |
3 |
61.63 |
New Hampshire |
8 |
59.59 |
Pennsylvania |
10 |
59.21 |
Vermont |
11 |
58.59 |
Maine |
19 |
56.32 |
Connecticut |
22 |
55.05 |
Rhode Island |
36 |
50.18 |
Here are the states that fell between New York (3) and New Hampshire (8) as well as some other states that may be of interest.
State |
Rank |
Score |
Idaho |
4 |
61.16 |
Minnesota |
5 |
60.97 |
Wisconsin |
6 |
60.94 |
Utah |
7 |
59.84 |
Florida |
14 |
57.87 |
California |
27 |
52.32 |
North Carolina |
28 |
55.05 |
The five worst ranked states in the study are:
State |
Rank |
Score |
South Carolina |
46 |
44.52 |
Mississippi |
47 |
42.40 |
Louisiana |
48 |
41.89 |
Alaska |
49 |
40.17 |
New Mexico |
50 |
38.96 |
View the rankings below for Massachusetts in each individual metric used in the study or see the full study results and the methodology used at Wallethub.com.
Individual Metric |
Massachusetts
State Rankng |
Quality of Public School System |
1 |
Share of Insured Population |
1 |
Accessibility of Beaches |
1 |
Property-Crime Rate |
1 |
Traffic-related Fatalities per Capita |
1 |
Median Debt per Median Earnings |
2 |
Poor or Fair Health |
2 |
Share of Obese Adults |
2 |
Overall Rank |
2 |
Bankruptcy Rate |
3 |
Access to Public Transportation |
3 |
Median Annual Household Income |
4 |
Premature-Death Rate |
4 |
Miles of Trails for Bicycling &
Walking per Total State Land Area |
4 |
“Bicycle Friendly State”
Ranking (proxy for Bike Score) |
4 |
Income Growth |
5 |
Average Hours Worked per Week |
5 |
Museums per Capita |
5 |
Food Insecurity |
6 |
Life Expectancy |
6 |
Fitness Centers per Capita |
6 |
Share of Population Living in Poverty |
8 |
Performing Arts Centers per Capita |
8 |
Restaurants per Capita |
9 |
Air Quality |
10 |
States that are Recovering the
Quickest from COVID-19 |
14 |
High School Graduation Rate |
15 |
Share of Population Aged 25 & Older
with a High School Diploma or Higher |
18 |
Share of Live Births with Low Birthweight |
19 |
Population Growth |
22 |
Bars per Capita |
24 |
Violent-Crime Rate |
24 |
General Tax-Friendliness |
25 |
Foreclosure Rate |
28 |
Share of Physically
Inactive Adults |
28 |
Job Opportunities |
29 |
Movie Theaters per Capita |
29 |
Total Law-Enforcement
Employees per Capita |
29 |
Median Annual Property Taxes |
33 |
Unemployment Rate |
35 |
Economic Confidence Index |
38 |
Building-Permit Growth |
38 |
Entrepreneurial Activity |
40 |
Quality of Roads |
40 |
Traffic Congestion |
40 |
Underemployment Rate |
41 |
Housing Affordability |
42 |
Quality of Public Hospital System |
42 |
Homeownership Rate |
43 |
Cost of Living |
47 |
Average Commute Time (in Minutes) |
47 |
Weather |
47 |
Wealth Gap |
48 |
Overall Score |
62.6 |