The 100 Best places to live in the United States

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The United States is the 10th most expensive and the 20th most liveable country.

Discover cost of living in the United States.

United States Quality of life Rank
😃 Human freedom index
8.39
20
💵 GDP per capita
$81695
10
🛍️ GDPPC based on purchasing power
$81695
12
❤️ Life expectancy
77.4
54
☠️ Homicide rate
6.4
136
🚧 Road traffic mortality
12.7
85
👮 Corruption perceptions index
69
29
🏙️ Population
332M
3
🌐 English speaking %
95.5%
10
😷 Air quality
Excellent
50
✈️ Airport proximity index
96
10
💰 Cost of living
$2454
188
💳 After-tax salary
$4635
6
💸 Salary to expenses ratio
1.9
15
🎓 Higher education index
100
1

Below is the list of 2202 best cities & 55 states to live and work in the United States for singles and families ranked by quality & cost of living.

Best places to live in the United States infographic

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Best cities to live in the United States

Best states

Rank State Quality of life Cost of living
1 District of Columbia
94
$3130
2 New York State
85
$3294
3 Maryland
81
$2404
4 Pennsylvania
81
$2315
5 Illinois
79
$2333
6 Nebraska
79
$2001
7 Alaska
78
$2431
8 Virginia
78
$2371
9 California
78
$2918
10 Texas State
77
$2141
11 Tennessee
77
$2159
12 Arizona
77
$2281
13 Oklahoma State
77
$1879
14 Nevada
77
$2294
15 Colorado
77
$2500
16 Florida
76
$2518
17 North Carolina
76
$2241
18 Washington
76
$2551
19 Indiana
76
$1949
20 Hawaii
75
$2875
21 Missouri
75
$1919
22 Massachusetts
75
$2822
23 Ohio
75
$1914
24 Kentucky
74
$1809
25 Rhode Island
74
$2356
26 Oregon State
74
$2357
27 New Jersey
74
$2706
28 Michigan
73
$1945
29 Wisconsin
73
$1979
30 Minnesota
73
$2227
31 Vermont
73
$2650
32 New Mexico
73
$2075
33 Kansas State
72
$1949
34 Louisiana
71
$1967
35 South Dakota
71
$1945
36 Georgia
71
$2196
37 Connecticut
71
$2475
38 Utah
70
$2004
39 New Hampshire
69
$2546
40 Alabama
69
$1808
41 Puerto Rico
68
$1519
42 Iowa State
68
$1685
43 Arkansas
68
$1787
44 South Carolina
68
$2222
45 Delaware
67
$2202
46 Maine
66
$2338
47 Idaho
65
$2097
48 Montana
63
$2030
49 Mississippi
62
$1918
50 North Dakota
61
$1664
51 West Virginia
61
$1571
52 Guam
59
$2649
53 Wyoming
58
$1775
54 US Virgin Islands
55
$2479
55 Northern Mariana Islands
48
$1427

Best cities in the United States comparison