Massachusetts topped the list of WalletHub’s best states to live in this year, according to the site’s recently released report.
The Bay State excelled in categories such as “Education and Health,” where it earned the the top spot, as well as “Quality of Life” and “Safety,” where it earned a sixth place spot among states.
Still, Massachusetts has areas to improve, according to WalletHub. The state was named 44th out of 50 in terms of “Affordability.”
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Massachusetts placed first just ahead of New Jersey, which claimed the number one spot in the category of “Safety.” Less than a point separated Massachusetts and New Jersey on WalletHub’s 100-point scale — 61.67 to 61.48.
Rounding out the top five are New Hampshire, New York and Wyoming. At the bottom of the list are Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alaska and New Mexico.
WalletHub conducted its comparison using five categories: Affordability, Economy, Education & Health, Quality of Life, and Safety.
In the Education & Health category, WalletHub looked at the quality of the public school system, the high school graduation rate, the life expectancy and the share of obese and physically inactive adults.
The Quality of Life category looked at traffic congestion, average hours worked per week, access to beaches, movie theaters, museums, and fitness centers, and above all, what the weather is.
Safety was measured using the violent crime rate, property crime rate, traffic related fatalities and the total law enforcement employees per capita.
The Economy category looked at the median debt per median earnings, population growth, income growth, the unemployment rate, and the wealth gap.
Affordability, where Massachusetts struggled most, was measured using housing affordability, median annual property taxes, cost of living, homeownership rate, and median annual household income.
