Worst States to Live in 2025

Defining the Worst States to Live in

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), quality of life measures seek to understand how individuals perceive their position in society and the degree to which they can meet their needs, reach their goals, and address their concerns. A population’s well-being is determined by material conditions, like housing and income, and immaterial considerations, such as health, education, and security. Measuring quality of life across large populations helps researchers and policymakers better understand how well programs and governments serve their citizens.

While the United States ranks 21st globally in quality of life metrics, programs and policies make for vastly different experiences across states. Each year, U.S. News and World Reports releases its Best State Rankings to show how states perform on metrics that impact the quality of life. The states ranked the worst to live in are those that provide the worst quality of life for their people.

What is Measured

The Best State Rankings utilize public data and extensive surveying to determine the quality of life and effectiveness of governance across the 50 states. The study includes an analysis of 71 metrics across eight categories to determine their ranking.

The categories included are:

• Healthcare involves metrics that measure access to and quality of health care and the public’s general health, including obesity rates, the prevalence of smoking, and mortality rates.
• Education includes K-12 school performance, high school graduation rates, tuition costs associated with higher education and college debt load.
• Economy measures focus on economic potential, including measurements like job and population growth and the birth rate for new businesses.
• Infrastructure metrics track how well transportation, energy, and communication systems function and include topics like internet access and road quality.
• Opportunity measures affordability, economic opportunity, and affordability.
• Fiscal Stability looks at the state’s short and long-term fiscal health, including credit ratings, state budgets, and liquidity.
• Crime and Corrections measures public safety and corrections, including crime levels and incarceration rates.
• Natural Environment looks at the quality of natural amenities, including air and water quality and pollution levels.

Many of these metrics are intertwined and influence one another. For example, states with lower economic opportunity may have less money to invest in education or healthcare. Perhaps for this reason, improvements in these states are slow. Most members of the worst ten states in the U.S. & World News rankings have been in the bottom ten since 2017.

The Top Ten Worst States to Live In

10 - Pennsylvania (#41 overall)

• Healthcare: 11
• Education: 39
• Economy: 38
• Infrastructure: 43
• Opportunity: 29
• Fiscal Stability: 39
• Crime & Corrections: 17
• Natural Environment: 40

U.S. News & World Report ranks Pennsylvania as the tenth worst state to live in for 2025. Strong medical institutions and comparatively solid public safety help the state, but long-standing structural challenges continue to pull down its overall performance.

Fiscal pressures are a major factor. Pennsylvania carries significant pension liabilities, and its slow progress on reducing long-term obligations has drawn repeated scrutiny from analysts. Infrastructure remains another persistent weakness: the state consistently reports one of the highest shares of structurally deficient bridges in the nation, especially in rural regions.

Environmental quality adds to the state’s difficulties. Metropolitan areas such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia continue to record elevated levels of particulate pollution, contributing to Pennsylvania’s low ranking in natural environment measures. These ongoing issues help explain the state’s lower-tier placement, despite noteworthy strengths in health care and public safety.

9 - Oklahoma (#42 overall)

• Healthcare: 48
• Education: 48
• Economy: 19
• Infrastructure: 29
• Opportunity: 30
• Fiscal Stability: 21
• Crime & Corrections: 36
• Natural Environment: 37

U.S. & World News ranks Oklahoma the ninth-worst state for living, a rank that has fluctuated little since 2018 due to healthcare concerns and crime rates.

Oklahoma faces a high premature death rate and one of the lowest rates of adults meeting federal physical activity guidelines, while suicide deaths have climbed 27% since 2010. Economic strain also affects health outcomes, reflected in Oklahoma’s high economic hardship index score and growing housing cost burden, which has risen 12% since 2016. Although the state benefits from high per-capita public health funding and a large number of mental health providers, lower-income adults report frequent physical distress nearly five times more often than higher-income adults.

Oklahoma has the 17th highest murder rate in the country and has seen a rise in violent crimes. The state also has the nation’s fourth-highest incarceration rate, with 563 out of every 100,000 people behind bars.

8 - Michigan (#43 overall)

• Healthcare: 22
• Education: 45
• Economy: 33
• Infrastructure: 44
• Opportunity: 23
• Fiscal Stability: 38
• Crime & Corrections: 39
• Natural Environment: 32

U.S. News & World Report ranks Michigan 43rd overall, reflecting persistent challenges across education, infrastructure, and crime. The state continues to struggle with low educational performance and aging infrastructure, both of which drag down its broader quality-of-life measures. Crime and corrections remain another weak point, with Michigan recording a 17% increase in homicide rates over the past decade, rising from 6.9 to 8.1 deaths per 100,000 people.

Michigan does show strengths in healthcare access, including a low uninsured rate and a high adolescent HPV vaccination rate, and the number of primary care providers has grown 31% since 2018. However, chronic conditions are still prevalent, with increasing rates of frequent mental distress—up 33% since 2014—and elevated preventable hospitalization rates. Improvements in housing conditions, including a 22% decline in severe housing problems, offer some positive momentum, but the state’s overall performance remains weighed down by long-standing structural issues.

7 - Arkansas (#44 overall)

• Healthcare: 47
• Education: 36
• Economy: 26
• Infrastructure: 41
• Opportunity: 28
• Fiscal Stability: 15
• Crime & Corrections: 48
• Natural Environment: 35

Arkansas is the seventh-worst state in the U.S. & World News ranking, primarily due to healthcare concerns and crime rates.

Arkansas continues to face major challenges in healthcare access and outcomes. The state records limited access to providers, particularly in dental care, and 8.9% of residents remain uninsured, even after improvements over the past decade. While smoking rates have declined sharply—from 24.7% to 15.0% since 2014—Arkansas still struggles with high levels of chronic illness and the nation’s elevated rates of cardiovascular disease.

Recent data also show worsening mental-health indicators: frequent mental distress has risen 35% since 2014. At the same time, violent-death indicators have grown more severe, with the state’s homicide rate increasing 47% over the last decade, from 7.6 to 11.2 deaths per 100,000 people.

Arkansas has the third-highest incarceration rate, with 574 of every 100,000 people imprisoned. The state also has a high incidence of violent crime. High rates of poverty and economic hardship coupled with low levels of educational attainment may contribute to the high crime rates seen in the state.

6 - Alabama (#45 overall)

• Healthcare: 40
• Education: 44
• Economy: 36
• Infrastructure: 33
• Opportunity: 26
• Fiscal Stability: 31
• Crime & Corrections: 29
• Natural Environment: 33

Alabama ranks as the sixth-worst state in the nation, according to the U.S. & World News report, primarily due to education and healthcare concerns.

The state has seen some improvement in its education system since 2019 when it ranked 50th in the nation. Education Weekly’s Quality Counts analysis gave the state a D+, citing low levels of student performance and adult outcomes. While the state made improvements in early-childhood education, overall progress is happening at a slower rate than the nation overall.

Healthcare in Alabama trails most of the nation due to low levels of access. America’s Health Rankings ranks the state 45th for overall health outcomes, citing high prevalence of multiple chronic conditions. For instance, diabetes in adults went up 33% from 11.8% to 15.7% between 2011 and 2023..

5 - West Virginia (#46 Overall)

• Healthcare: 49
• Education: 47
• Economy: 47
• Infrastructure: 50
• Opportunity: 8
• Fiscal Stability: 24
• Crime & Corrections: 19
• Natural Environment: 36

West Virginia ranks fifth-worst in the U.S. & World News ranking. Mississippi’s infrastructure, education, economy, and healthcare scores contribute to the state’s low ranking.

The state’s infrastructure is still the worst in the nation. Nearly a third of West Virginia’s roads are in poor condition. Infrastructurereportcard.org gave West Virginia a grade of C in 2022, up from D in 2020, signifying that while the state systems have improved, they are still at risk, with many elements reaching the end of their service life.

4 - New Mexico (#47 overall)

• Healthcare: 38
• Education: 50
• Economy: 43
• Infrastructure: 42
• Opportunity: 37
• Fiscal Stability: 26
• Crime & Corrections: 49
• Natural Environment: 30

New Mexico ranks 47th in the nation, or fourth-worst, according to the U.S. & World News report. The state has fallen in the bottom five states most years since 2017, mainly due to concerns about education, opportunity, and economy.

New Mexico’s education system ranks last in the nation, and EdWeek Research Center ranked the state’s public schools the worst in the country. by the EdWeek Research Center. The state’s fourth-grade reading levels are the lowest in the country. Only 78% of New Mexican students graduate from high school, considerably lower than the national average of about 87%.

New Mexico continues to face significant challenges in public safety and health. The state’s homicide rate has risen sharply over the past decade—increasing 110%, from 6.7 to 14.1 deaths per 100,000 people. Drug-related fatalities show a similar trend, with drug deaths more than doubling between 2010 and 2022, rising from 23.8 to 48.5 per 100,000. At the same time, the state has made progress in several health-access measures: the share of uninsured residents has been cut in half, dropping from 19.6% to 9.1%, and smoking has declined 43% since 2011.

3 - Mississippi (#48 overall)

• Healthcare: 50
• Education: 34
• Economy: 49
• Infrastructure: 47
• Opportunity: 31
• Fiscal Stability: 47
• Crime & Corrections: 20
• Natural Environment: 31

Mississippi ranks as third-worst state in the U.S. & World News report, a spot from which it has deviated little since the 2017 report. The state maintains its low ranking due to low performance across many metrics.

Mississippi ranks last in terms of healthcare due to low levels of access and outcomes.Mississippi continues to face serious healthcare challenges, with some of the weakest overall outcomes in the country. The state’s homicide rate has also risen sharply—up 113% over the past decade, from 9.8 to 20.9 deaths per 100,000 people—and chronic illness remains widespread, with diabetes increasing 36% since 2012. Teen birth rates have also edged upward, rising 3% since 2021.

Mississippi has made progress in a few areas: the share of uninsured residents has dropped 42%, falling from 17.7% to 10.3%, and food insecurity has improved, decreasing from 21.1% to 16.2% of households. Even so, the state continues to rank at or near the bottom nationally in many health metrics.

Nearly nineteen percent of Mississippi’s residents live at or below the poverty line. The per capita income for the state is $30,529, the lowest in the nation. Levels of unemployment and food insecurity are some of the worst in the country.

2 - Alaska (#49 overall)

• Healthcare: 29
• Education: 49
• Economy: 45
• Infrastructure: 46
• Opportunity: 36
• Fiscal Stability: 44
• Crime & Corrections: 46
• Natural Environment: 36

U.S. & World News ranks Alaska as the second-worst state in the nation to live in, significantly worse than in previous years.

Alaska continues to struggle with some of the lowest education outcomes in the country, and its economy has been hampered by slow growth and a heavy reliance on volatile resource revenues. Crime rates remain among the highest nationally, and infrastructure gaps—particularly in remote areas—make transportation, communication, and essential services more difficult to deliver compared with other states.

Health indicators show a complex picture. Alaska has seen improvements in certain areas, including a 10% increase in pediatricians per capita and a 13% rise in early childhood education enrollment. However, troubling trends persist: frequent mental distress among women ages 18–44 has surged 46% in just a few years, and injury deaths among women ages 20–44 have risen 25%, from 74.2 to 93.1 per 100,000. Combined with modest healthcare access and uneven outcomes across rural communities, these issues contribute to Alaska’s position near the bottom of national rankings.

1 - Louisiana (#50 overall)

• Healthcare: 44
• Education: 46
• Economy: 50
• Infrastructure: 48
• Opportunity: 46
• Fiscal Stability: 46
• Crime & Corrections: 50
• Natural Environment: 49

U.S. & World News ranks Louisiana the worst state in the nation, as it has rather consistently since 2017. Low performance across all metrics, especially crime and education concerns.

Louisiana continues to post some of the weakest outcomes in education, economic stability, and public safety, with the lowest-ranked economy and crime and corrections system in the country. Infrastructure and fiscal stability remain ongoing concerns, and environmental vulnerabilities—particularly around air quality and water systems—push Louisiana near the bottom in natural environment measures.

Health trends show a mix of progress and growing strain. Louisiana has seen meaningful improvements in access to care, with the number of primary care providers rising 44% since 2018 and HPV vaccination coverage increasing 58% among adolescents. However, several indicators have moved in the opposite direction. Adult depression has surged 49% over the past decade, and asthma rates have climbed 43%, affecting more than one in ten adults. These rising health burdens, combined with long-standing economic and safety issues, help explain Louisiana’s position at the bottom of the national rankings.

Conclusion

The U.S. & World News Best State Rankings synthesize a wealth of information to provide a snapshot of how well states are meeting the needs of their people. The nation’s poorest-performing states tend to be concentrated in the South, suggesting there may be some cultural influences that may play a role in the decisions made by policymakers and government officials.

While the worst states in the country are pretty much the same year to year, the top ten states are quite dynamic, with the top spots frequently changing. Head here to see the best states to live in in 2025.