Best U.S. States to Live In for 2026, Ranked from Worst to Best

If you’re looking to move in 2026, you should make sure to think about the best place to be living right now. Let’s take a look at the best U.S. states!

U.S. News & World Report has been publishing rankings every year for a very long time and considers 71 different metrics to determine those rankings.

Here’s a breakdown of the rankings through eight different categories: 15.79% is education, 15.51% is health care, 12.88% is economy, 12.74% is infrastructure, 12.2% is opportunity, 12.19% is fiscal stability, 9.69% is natural environment, and 9.01% is crime and corrections.

So, where does your state fall in the ranking?

Browse through the slideshow to see the best states to live in…