State rankings
Most Hated States in the US
Illinois ranks 1st on Most Hated Rank, followed by New Jersey (2nd) and New York (3rd); rank 1 is the worst. Colorado ranks last (50th).
Most Hated RankBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
50 of 51 statesMost Hated Rank
Darker green is better (rank 1 is the worst, so a higher rank number is better). Click a place to highlight it.
Loading map…
All 50 ranked
Worst first; rank 1 is the worst and has the longest bar.
Data
Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.
50 states · # = rank by Most Hated Rank
| # | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Illinois | 1st | Illinois is one of the fastest shrinking states in the US in terms of population, and has experienced a 0.54% (more than half a percent) decrease in population in recent years. Although only one other state hates Illinois the most, 25% of Illinoisans say their state is the wor… |
| 2 |  New Jersey | 2nd | Five other states report hating New Jersey the most. 10% of its residents call it the worst state, and its population recently experienced a 0.3% decline. |
| 3 |  New York | 3rd | 12% of New Yorkers say it’s the worst state to live, and 0.45% have moved out of state in recent years. Massachusetts hates New York more than any other state. |
| 4 |  West Virginia | 4th | West Virginia has lost 0.76% of its residents in recent years, with many moving to Ohio or Virginia. 6% of its remaining residents say it is the worst state. |
| 5 |  California | 5th | Nine other states hate California, and 6% of Californians feel they live in the worst state. California has experienced population decline of 0.11% in recent years. |
| 6 |  Massachusetts | 6th | 6% of residents of Massachusetts, which recently experienced 0.14% population decline and is hated by 4 other states, believe it is the worst state. |
| 7 |  Michigan | 7th | 9% of Michiganders say it is the worst state in which to live. Michigan is hated by one other state and has experienced population decline of 0.09% in recent years. |
| 8 |  Mississippi | 8th | — |
| 9 |  Kentucky | 9th | 6% of people in Kentucky, which is hated by Tennessee and Indiana, feel it is the worst state. |
| 9 |  Connecticut | 9th | No states hate Connecticut the most, but 17% of the state's own residents consider it the worst state in which to live. The state's population has declined by 0.21% in recent years. |
| 11 |  Louisiana | 11th | — |
| 12 |  Ohio | 12th | — |
| 13 |  Alabama | 13th | — |
| 14 |  Alaska | 14th | — |
| 15 |  Maryland | 15th | — |
| 16 |  Rhode Island | 16th | — |
| 17 |  Hawaii | 17th | — |
| 18 |  Kansas | 18th | — |
| 18 |  New Mexico | 18th | — |
| 20 |  Oklahoma | 20th | — |
| 20 |  Vermont | 20th | — |
| 22 |  Virginia | 22nd | — |
| 23 |  Missouri | 23rd | — |
| 24 |  Pennsylvania | 24th | — |
| 24 |  Nebraska | 24th | — |
| 26 |  South Dakota | 26th | — |
| 27 |  Florida | 27th | — |
| 27 |  South Carolina | 27th | — |
| 29 |  Arkansas | 29th | — |
| 30 |  Iowa | 30th | — |
| 31 |  Indiana | 31st | — |
| 31 |  Wisconsin | 31st | — |
| 33 |  Tennessee | 33rd | — |
| 34 |  North Dakota | 34th | — |
| 35 |  North Carolina | 35th | — |
| 36 |  Nevada | 36th | — |
| 37 |  Texas | 37th | — |
| 38 |  Oregon | 38th | — |
| 39 |  Delaware | 39th | — |
| 40 |  Georgia | 40th | — |
| 41 |  Arizona | 41st | — |
| 41 |  Wyoming | 41st | — |
| 43 |  Washington | 43rd | — |
| 44 |  New Hampshire | 44th | — |
| 44 |  Maine | 44th | — |
| 46 |  Minnesota | 46th | — |
| 47 |  Idaho | 47th | — |
| 48 |  Montana | 48th | — |
| 49 |  Utah | 49th | — |
| 50 |  Colorado | 50th | Colorado was not hated by any other state. |
What correlates with Most Hated Rank?
Pearson r against 2,113 other state metrics sharing at least 30 states. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.
Higher together
Places that rank better on Most Hated Rank tend to score higher on these (or rank better)
Opposite directions
Places that rank better on Most Hated Rank tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)
Quick answers
- Which state ranks first on Most Hated Rank?
- Illinois ranks first on Most Hated Rank, at 1st, followed by New Jersey (2nd) and New York (3rd). Rank 1 is the worst state.
- Which state ranks last on Most Hated Rank?
- Colorado ranks last of the 50 US states with data, at 50th.
- Where does this most hated states in the us data come from?
- Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Most (And Least) Hated States, According To Its Neighbors And People Who Live There - Zippia.