State rankings

Worst States to Retire

Kentucky ranks 1st on Overall Rank, followed by New Jersey (2nd) and Mississippi (3rd); rank 1 is the worst. Virginia ranks last (50th).

CultureEconomicsPopulation50 states · 4 metricsUpdated Aug 27, 2023Original page
1 source
50 of 51 states
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Overall Rank

Darker green is better (rank 1 is the worst, so a higher rank number is better). Click a place to highlight it.

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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 Overall Rank
#
1Kentucky1st18th5th10th
2New Jersey2nd2nd29th18th
3Mississippi3rd41st3rd1st
4Oklahoma4th32nd8th4th
5New York5th1st35th41st
6Louisiana6th38th4th6th
7Illinois7th9th24th29th
8Washington8th6th28th38th
9Maryland9th5th32nd31st
10Arkansas10th43rd7th2nd
11Rhode Island11th12th37th12th
12Texas12th23rd17th15th
13Oregon13th10th30th30th
14West Virginia14th48th2nd8th
15Kansas15th21st18th21st
16Connecticut16th7th48th26th
17Vermont17th3rd45th44th
18Tennessee18th49th6th3rd
19Nevada19th40th10th9th
20Indiana20th28th11th22nd
21New Mexico21st30th21st5th
22Maine22nd8th38th45th
23Michigan23rd22nd15th33rd
24Georgia24th44th9th11th
25Iowa25th16th27th39th
26Nebraska26th14th36th35th
27Hawaii27th13th47th13th
28Ohio28th24th14th43rd
29Alabama29th50th1st7th
30Wisconsin30th17th34th37th
31Arizona31st33rd26th17th
32Alaska32nd25th43rd16th
33California33rd19th41st32nd
34Massachusetts34th4th49th50th
35South Carolina35th47th12th14th
36Montana36th27th22nd36th
37Pennsylvania37th15th39th48th
38Missouri38th34th19th24th
39North Carolina39th39th16th19th
40Utah40th31st25th28th
41North Dakota41st29th31st27th
42Idaho42nd36th20th34th
43Minnesota43rd11th50th49th
44South Dakota44th26th42nd23rd
45New Hampshire45th20th44th46th
46Delaware46th45th33rd20th
47Wyoming47th46th13th42nd
48Colorado48th37th46th25th
49Florida49th42nd23rd47th
50Virginia50th35th40th40th

What correlates with Overall 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 Overall Rank tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. Most & Least Intelligent States Index (Guru99)Dumbest States in the United States
    r = +0.55 · strong · n = 30
    Plot
  2. Most Hated RankMost Hated States in the USA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = +0.51 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  3. SocioeconomicsBest States to Raise a FamilyA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.50 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Economy RankWorst States to Live inA rank: rank 1 is the worst
    r = +0.49 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  5. Overall Best - US NewsBest States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.49 · moderate · n = 49
    Plot
  6. Overall Best (WalletHub)Best States to Live InA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that rank better on Overall Rank tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. SNAP RecipiencyFederal Spending by State
    r = −0.57 · strong · n = 50
    Plot
  2. Household DiversityLeast Diverse States in the USA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.49 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  3. % of Pop. with Less Than High School DiplomaMost Educated U.S. States
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  4. Clothing Sales Tax RateSales Tax on Clothing by State
    r = −0.48 · moderate · n = 38
    Plot
  5. Household Diversity RankMost Diverse US StatesA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = +0.48 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot
  6. Poverty Rate (%)Housing, Income and Commutes by State (Census)
    r = −0.47 · moderate · n = 50
    Plot

Quick answers

Which state ranks first on Overall Rank?
Kentucky ranks first on Overall Rank, at 1st, followed by New Jersey (2nd) and Mississippi (3rd). Rank 1 is the worst state.
Which state ranks last on Overall Rank?
Virginia ranks last of the 50 US states with data, at 50th.
Where does this worst states to retire data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: The Best and Worst States to Retire - The Street.

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