Minnesota, Washington and Utah Rank Among Top U.S. States While Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi Fall to Bottom in New Multi-Metric Quality of Life Map
UNITED STATES — A newly circulated nationwide map ranking all 50 states across eight major quality-of-life metrics shows a clear divide between top-performing northern and western states and lower-performing southern states.
The ranking combines personal income adjusted for cost of living, poverty levels, education attainment, life expectancy, infant mortality rate, violent crime rate, median home price and food insecurity rate, grouping states based on how many categories they perform above or below the national average.
Minnesota, Washington and Utah Stand Out at the Top
According to the map, Minnesota ranks as the strongest overall performer, shown as exceeding the national average across all measured categories.
Other top-tier states include:
Washington
Utah
Iowa
Colorado
North Dakota
These states are shaded to indicate they perform better than the national average in most of the eight metrics, particularly in income, education and life expectancy.
Much of the Upper Midwest and parts of the Mountain West appear clustered in the higher-performing tiers.
Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Show Mixed but Generally Strong Results
Several Northeastern states also perform well overall, though not uniformly across all categories.
States such as:
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Pennsylvania
Virginia
are grouped in categories showing more strengths than weaknesses, though not always top-of-the-chart across all eight indicators.
The data suggests the Northeast maintains relatively strong education and income metrics but may show variation in housing costs or crime rates.
Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi Rank at the Bottom
At the lower end of the scale, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi appear in the lowest performance tier, indicating they fall below the national average in the majority of the eight metrics.
Arkansas and Oklahoma are also grouped near the bottom.
Much of the Deep South shows a pattern of lower rankings across income, life expectancy, food insecurity and violent crime categories.
This regional clustering highlights a persistent North–South divide across multiple socioeconomic indicators.
Where North Carolina Falls
North Carolina appears in a mid-to-lower grouping, showing a mix of better-than-average and below-average indicators.
Neighboring states such as:
South Carolina
Georgia
Tennessee
also fall into similar performance categories, suggesting broader regional trends across the Southeast.
While not ranked at the very bottom, North Carolina does not appear in the top-tier grouping either, reflecting a mixed profile across income, education, health and safety metrics.
Clear Regional Patterns Emerge
The overall distribution shows:
Stronger performance across the Upper Midwest and parts of the West
Mid-tier rankings across portions of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
Lower rankings concentrated in the Deep South
Western states such as California and Oregon appear in middle categories, reflecting a balance of high incomes alongside higher housing costs or other pressures.
What This Means for Readers
While the map simplifies complex statewide data into categorical groupings, it highlights significant regional disparities across health, income, education and safety outcomes.
For North Carolina residents, the data points to both strengths and areas for improvement relative to national averages.
If you have thoughts about how your state ranks or what factors most influence quality of life in your community, share your perspective with us at CabarrusWeekly.com.
