The best states to move to (and why California is the very worst)

With its warm beaches, natural beauty , and ample job opportunities, California attracts nearly half a million people from other states every year. But a new report might make those considering a move to the Sunshine State think again.

ConsumerAffairs, a consumer news platform, ranked the 50 states and Washington, D.C. , in a July 26 analysis to determine the best and worst states to move to. It combined scores from five categories — affordability, economy, education and health, quality of life, and safety — to rank each state.

California ranked last, coming in at 48th in economy and 49th in education and health. “California’s poor scores in education and health, quality of life, and safety make it the worst state to move to,” the report wrote. It also noted that only two Western states made it in the top 10, though they happen to rank first and third on the list.

Utah, which topped the list, had the highest affordability score due to its low property taxes, the report noted. It also boasts high median incomes — at $79,449 in 2021 — and ranked third for its economy and quality of life.

New Hampshire came in second, with high scores for education and health, economy, and quality of life. The report added that the state had the lowest percentage of people in poverty in 2022 and had the second lowest rate of violent and property crime, though it ranked 44th in affordability.

In third place was Idaho, which made the top 10 under four metrics, including earning fourth place in affordability.

And for the worst states: New Mexico and Texas joined California at the very bottom of the list. Both states ranked highly in quality of life — 14th and 16th, respectively — but fared poorly in the other categories.

See how well your state performed with the full rankings below: