The pursuit of a good life is a journey that starts the day we are born. As simple as it sounds, it is a combination of a number of things. It depends on affordability, education, access to healthcare, the job you have and the kind of people you are surrounded with at various stages of your life. A lot of these determinants are out of the scope of an objective review.
One thing, that can be determined however, is how good the place is, where one intends to spend their life. This has been determined by an assessment of the affordability of the place, it’s cost-of-living index along with the median household income, access to healthcare and education and the economy and culture of a place. So, here is a list of the best states to live, in the US.
List of 5 Best States to Live in America
5 Top-Rated States in the US to Move to for a Better Quality of Life
1. Massachusetts
This city has been consistently placed at the top of most such lists, and with good reason. The cost-of-living index stands at 127, but the median household income happens to be $80,000, so people here can comfortably afford the lifestyle. As per TrustedChoice, the median cost of buying a house in Massachusetts would be $400,000 and the average cost of renting a house, as per Zillow stands at $2000. These are the average prices and will vary between cities and neighborhoods. Massachusetts is slightly on the pricier side, but it offers a quality of life to match that.
The economy of Massachusetts is what can be called as ‘booming’. It has been named as “one of the most innovative states” in the US by Bloomberg and is home to twelve Fortune 500 companies and counting. Some of them are Biogen, Eversource Energy, Boston Scientific, Global Partners and American Tower. This obviously means that the state has its own fair share of millionaires along with the plethora of employment opportunities that come with them. The economy of Massachusetts is made up of education, biotechnology, IT, finance, healthcare, tourism, manufacturing and defense. The non-profit organisations in the state are responsible for the employment of a sixth of the state’s workforce.
The state is known for its cultivation of performing arts, and the orchestra is quite popular here, with it being home to Boston Symphony Orchestra and Springfield Symphony orchestra among others. There are also a large number of museums and historical sites to explore – something you can enjoy with your entire family or even by yourself. This goes hand in hand with the culture of upscale restaurants, bars and pubs that actively thrive in the fast-paced lifestyle of a major chunk of the city’s population. Some cities where one can choose to live in the state are Boston, Newton, Hingham, Lexington, Brookline, Cambridge, Sharon, Wellesley and Sudbury.
Related: Relocate to Massachusetts | Moving To Minnesota – Relocation Guide
2. Minnesota
This is a very close second on the list. The cost-of-living index in the state is 97.2, less than the national average. The median household income, as per Statista, is $81,426, which means that people here live more than a comfortable life.
The median cost of buying a house in Minnesota is $235,600, and the cost of renting a house would be $1300. The finances of the housing situation are pretty affordable. Prices will differ from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood. These are average estimates provided by BestPlaces and Zillow, respectively.
Minnesota’s economy, though heavily based on finished products and services, is still relatively diverse. In 2019, the gross domestic product of the state was $383 billion. The outputs of its business sectors closely match that of the United States. Not just that, several prominent publicly traded companies like Target, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, Best Buy, etc. are headquartered in Minnesota.
The state is also home to private companies like Cargill and Carlson Companies. Agriculture is another major source of income for Minnesota, with the value of products holding the sixth rank in the nation. Interestingly, the agricultural sector in this state employs less than one percent of the population. It is another pleasing fact that the state has a very well-educated populace, due to its emphasis on education, with the schools here being some of the best in the country. Healthcare of Minnesota ranks very high in the country as a thriving industry with a number of public and private medical centres.
Minnesota’s culture is a mix of Scandinavian, Finnish, Irish, German, Czechoslovakians and Native American influences. These are a few of the wider diversity of the population. This ensures that you not only live in an environment with a wide scope for worldly education, but the cuisine in the state also happens to be excellent. And despite popular perception, the most common ethnic group in Minnesota are the German-Americans and not the Scandinavians.
Minnesota is also home to a number of fine art museums like Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Walker Art Center, the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, and The Museum of Russian Art (TMORA), along with having a culture of promoting music and literature, as evidenced by the singers like Bob Dylan, The Andrew Sisters, The Castaways and writers like Sinclair Louis and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who have written of Minnesota or are Minnesotans themselves. The state can truly make one happy like no other. The best places to live in Minnesota include Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Eden Prairie, Edina and Minnetonka.
3. New Hampshire
The Granite state not just offers some of the best apple pie and maple syrup that you will ever have, it also brings with it an excellent life for its residents. The cost-of-living index of the state is 105.4 and the median household income is $74,991, as per datausa. This means that the good life of New Hampshire is subject to your income bracket. The median price of buying a house is $274,300, as per BestPlaces, and the average amount of money you will be paying to rent a house in this state is $2,000.
Agriculture and tourism are the major contributors to the state’s broad-based and growing economy. Some of the prominent sectors in play are real estate, rental and leasing, business services, government, healthcare and social services. New Hampshire also happens to be a net exporter of electricity, exporting 63 trillion British Thermal Units (18 TWh). The largest section of employers in the state are from the private sectors, totaling around 53%. This probably explains how New Hampshire has the 8th highest number of millionaires in the country.
As far as education in New Hampshire stands, let’s just say that the SAT and ACT test scores from this state have consistently been some of the highest in the state, year after year. The state has several public and private schools and rides itself on an almost 100% high school graduation rate. County fairs and summer camps are a regular thing here. On other days, you could also go skiing on the mountains of the East Coast, snowmobiling, hiking or even mountaineering. There is also the option of experiencing the several food joints and restaurants and occasionally dropping by some of the well-rated pubs and bars. You are covered for everything in New Hampshire. Portsmouth, Manchester, Londonderry, Windham, Hanover, Bedford, Durham and Amherst are all great places to call home in New Hampshire.
Also Read: Relocation Guide for New Hampshire
4. New Jersey
Despite the abundance of jokes, New Jersey is actually considered to be one of the best places to live in the US. The median household income here happens to be $82,545 and the cost-of-living index is 120. It is safe to say that the cash-flow here, both incoming and outgoing, would be high. The median value of a house in New Jersey is $360,084 and if you prefer renting, you would be charged $1700 per month, on average. While the numbers may differ from place to place in the state, the given figures are the estimates as provided by census.gov and Zillow, respectively.
The New Jersey economy is spread out over a number of sectors, mainly the pharmaceutical industry, biotech, IT, finance, food, publishing and tourism, among many others. The labor pool is highly educated and makes its presence felt even in the service industry of retail, education and real estate. Another major selling point for the economy is tourism and shipping, which are key industries, with New Jersey being the busiest port of the East Coast. A number of Fortune 500 companies are housed in New Jersey and a few counties like Somerset, Morris and Monmouth are known as the highest income counties in the US.
New Jersey is well-known for the standard of education of its schools and colleges with the state spending significant amounts of money in the upkeep of the school system. The schools and colleges of the state frequently rank at the top of the “best of” lists combined from time to time. As far as the culture and lifestyle go, New Jersey has its own nexus with its food, communities, museums and halls of fame. It also has teams from six major professional sports leagues, if your hobbies include spending time in the stadiums and getting really invested with a team. You will find the pace and range of life here, very agreeable. Some of the better cities and towns to settle in New Jersey are Jersey City, Hoboken, Princeton, Upper Montclair, Ridgewood, Westfield and Highland Park. So if you are planning to move to New Jersey then its a good option.
5. Colorado
This state has a firm place on any list that is about the “best of” of the United States. The cost-of-living index is 121.1 and the median household income is $72,499. Life here isn’t cheap so let’s take a look at what makes it worth it. The price of having a house to your name, as per Realtor, in Colorado is $350,000. Many people prefer to rent and if you are one of them, you would be paying $1,000 on average, according to Zillow.
Colorado is recognized as the third-best state in the country for business. The state is also home to many important federal facilities like the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), United States Air Force Academy, National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals to name a few. There are also the four National Parks to account for and the swathes of forest land, which take up 37% of the total area of the state. While the numbers produced are impressive, this is not the limit of Colorado’s economic avenues.
See also: Moving to Colorado
Though concentrated in science and technology, it has also diversified into food processing, machinery, chemical products and extraction of metals. Also, the state produces the largest quantity of beer annually in the United States. It would be unfair to not note how much the state’s geography attracts tourists from all over the country. The tourism industry generates $22.3 billion, as estimated in 2018. With the information mentioned, it comes as a surprise to all that the fastest growing jobs in Colorado include that of an interpreter, miner, personal care assistant, aesthetician, cement mason, information security analyst and physician assistant.
It is a comforting fact that the state has one of the best education rates in the entire country, with at least 38% holding a Bachelor’s degree and 14% holding a graduate or a professional degree. Colorado is home to some top-tier universities like University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado, Regis University and many more.
The culture of Colorado has just as much to offer. Let’s start with the cuisine. To put it simply, the food is extremely diverse while continuing to be as American as possible. This is also the site for numerous films’ shooting some of which are True Grit, Butch Cassidy and The Vanishing Point. It has also played host for a lot of film festivals in the country like the Aspen Shortsfest, Boulder International Film Festival, Castle Rock Film Festival, and Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, to name a few.
The cherry on the cake for anyone would be that the Colorado wines are considered to be some of the best in the world. So if you care about it, the state is also open to cannabis tourism. Not to leave out the sports fans, Colorado has five major professional sports leagues, something for everyone. Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Castle Rock, Littleton, Aurora and Louisville are excellent places to live in Colorado.
Also See: Largest Cities of Colorado
Conclusion
A good place to live in easily forms the crux of a good life. It’s something that is supported by the income of a person, their needs, aspirations in life, ambitions and expectations for current and future family. While deciding which place would be ideal for a life of your dreams, these are the factors one must keep in mind while trying to make that judgement.
Once that is done, we come to the last but not the least aspect of a good life – the people you surround yourself with! No matter how much your lifestyle costs you, never forget that Taylor Swift sang the words “the best people in life are free” and we sure do understand the advice of a queen. That said, we hope you manage a move to a place you dream of. If you need help with a good moving service provider, we can always help!
Recommended Useful Resources
- 10 Cheap States to Move to
- Best Places to Raise a Family in America
- Out of State Movers’ List
- Best Long Distance Moving Companies
