Florida Shines as a Best State to Live
Florida ranks sixth nationally and highest in the Southeast in WalletHub’s livability study, excelling in economy, quality of life and dining options.
TAMPA, Fla. — In a study of all 50 states, Florida was the only state in the Southeast U.S. to make WalletHub's list of the top 10 best states to live in.
The study compared 51 different factors of livability, including things such as housing affordability, unemployment rates, quality of public schools and safety.
Florida was ranked sixth overall and was the highest-ranking state in the Southeast. The only other state in the region to break the top 20 was Virginia, which ranked 14th.
The Sunshine State is especially good for foodies, according to the WalletHub study. Florida tied with New York and California as the state with the most restaurants per capita.
Florida also boasts strong economic growth, ranking third in a measure of median household income growth from 2019 to 2023. The state also ranked 11th in the overall economy category.
When considering the general quality of life, Florida came in fourth, beaten only by California, New York and Illinois. The category measured things like average hours worked per week, miles of trails for walking and biking, traffic congestion, and how many theaters, museums and restaurants there are per capita.
Many of the states surrounding Florida found themselves toward the bottom of the list. Georgia was 27th, South Carolina was 44th, and Alabama was 41st.
The top three states to live in, according to WalletHub, are Massachusetts, Idaho and New Jersey.
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