Quality Of Life By State
United States
52.37Quality of Life IndexNational Average
—Livability Index ScoreNational Average
—Happiness IndexNational Average
—Life ExpectancyNational Average
Quality of Life Index 2024

#1#50
Last updated February 28, 2026
Quality of Life in the United States
Quality of life is an essential, though often abstract, factor when individuals or families decide where to establish their roots. In the United States, quality of life varies significantly from state to state due to a wide range of elements such as healthcare access, economic stability, educational opportunities, crime rates, infrastructure quality, and natural environment's health.
- The top five states in terms of quality of life are Washington, Minnesota, Utah, New Hampshire, and Idaho, signifying these have the best combination of healthcare, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime rates and natural environment.
- States with the lowest quality of life scores are Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and West Virginia, located in the South and Midwest regions, respectively. This suggests these regions might face more pronounced challenges with issues such as healthcare access, education, economy, and crime rates.
- Some of the most populous states like California (24) and New York (21) appear in the middle of the ranking, implying a large population does not necessarily equate to a higher quality of life score.
- The states occupying the middle spot in the ranking, such as Ohio (36) and Indiana (32), suggest that there is room for these states to bolster their residents' quality of life by improving in some key areas.
All Metrics
Sources & Notes
Quality of Life Index
Measure of overall living conditions and well-being factors that affect life satisfaction.
Happiness Index
Measure of overall life satisfaction and well-being levels among the population.
These were the happiest states in 2024: Report December 30, 2024
Life Expectancy
Average number of years a newborn is expected to live.
Keep reading






