If you are considering moving, you may want to prioritize Utah, New Hampshire, and Idaho. According to a new study by Consumer Affairs, these states top the list of the most suitable states to move to in 2025, while New Mexico, Louisiana, and California rank at the bottom.
The report ranks the overall attractiveness of all 50 states in the U.S based on five key indicators: affordability, safety, economy, healthcare and education, and overall quality of life.
Utah, New Hampshire, and Idaho have been ranked in the top three for the second consecutive year. These states performed well in multiple categories, particularly in safety, economic stability, and overall quality of life.
Harrison Stevens, Vice President of Marketing at TurboTenant, mentioned that rankings may not apply to everyone. He told Newsweek, “Statistics and lists like these can be helpful, but they do not perfectly indicate which state is the best fit for you.”
For example, even though New Hampshire ranks second overall, its housing affordability indicator is at 33rd place. Stevens said, “So, for those looking for economically feasible housing, it may not be the best choice.”
On the other hand, New Mexico ranks at the bottom overall due to poor performance in safety, healthcare, and education, despite clear advantages in affordable housing and weather. The report noted, “If you are interested in the housing and abundant sunshine in New Mexico, you may need to think twice – the state scored low in safety, healthcare, and education, making it the least suitable state to move to this year.”
Let’s take a closer look at the rankings of these states.
Top 10 Most Suitable States to Move in 2025:
1. Utah
2. New Hampshire
3. Idaho
4. Virginia
5. South Dakota
6. Maine
7. Nebraska
8. Massachusetts
9. Wisconsin
10. Wyoming
Top 10 Least Suitable States to Move in 2025:
1. New Mexico
2. Louisiana
3. California
4. Oregon
5. Arkansas
6. Nevada
7. Oklahoma
8. Alaska
9. Arizona
10. New York
For more information, refer to Newsweek.
2025 Best and Worst States to Move to Rankings
Recently, Bankrate also released a report on the best retirement states in the U.S. New Hampshire replaced last year’s top-ranked Delaware, which fell to 11th place.
Unlike previous methods, this year, Bankrate weighted evaluation indicators differently based on the preferences of Americans in a survey. If more respondents indicated they value a specific indicator such as affordability or weather, the impact of that indicator on the overall state ranking is increased.
Affordability (28%)
Weather (18%)
Community Safety (17%)
Healthcare (16%)
Local Taxes (9%)
Arts, Entertainment, and Leisure (7%)
Peer Age (3%)
Others, including walkability, community well-being, air pollution, and water quality (2%)
The top retirement states selected by Bankrate are dominated by atypical states, with the New England region holding three out of the top five spots and Western states like Wyoming and Idaho also gaining attention.
Meanwhile, Louisiana, known as a sports paradise, is at the bottom of Bankrate’s annual retirement state rankings. Traditional retirement “havens” like Florida and Texas also rank in the bottom ten.
Stephen Kates, financial analyst and Certified Financial Planner at Bankrate, stated that Florida ranked 41st, performing well in taxes and retiree population. However, its rankings in healthcare, home insurance costs, and natural disasters are poor, leading to significant cost disadvantages for retirees.
The top five retirement states in Bankrate’s annual ranking are as follows:
1. New Hampshire – tops in affordability and quality of life. While the state ranks low in weather (40th), it excels in community safety (1st), healthcare (5th), local taxes (6th), and the elderly population (7th).
2. Maine – ranks high in safety (2nd), healthcare (3rd), and arts (4th) but low in weather (41st).
3. Wyoming – tops in taxes and ranks 4th in affordability, but its healthcare ranking (39th) is a clear weakness.
4. Vermont – excels in arts (1st) and healthcare (1st), and with a large elderly population (2nd), but its affordability (12th) and harsh weather (43rd) factors result in lower ranking.
5. Idaho – ranks 5th, excelling in safety (3rd), affordability (9th), and taxes (11th), but has lower rankings in arts (37th) and elderly population (35th).
Top 5 Best Retirement States in 2025:
1. New Hampshire
2. Maine
3. Wyoming
4. Vermont
5. Idaho
Top 5 Worst Retirement States in 2025:
50. Louisiana
49. Texas
48. Oklahoma
47. Arkansas
46. Nebraska
For more information, refer to Bankrate’s study on the best and worst retirement states in 2025.
Since 2017, U.S. News & World Report has been publishing annual rankings of the “Best States” in the U.S., covering eight categories and providing a comprehensive assessment of all 50 states, including healthcare, education, natural environment, opportunities, economy, crime and corrections, infrastructure, and fiscal stability, with a total of 71 analytical indicators.
In the latest edition of the “Best States Rankings” by U.S. News & World Report, Iowa slipped in the rankings, while South Dakota moved up, and the top spot was held by the same state for the third consecutive year.
Top 10 “Best States” rankings for 2025:
Top 10 Best States in the U.S.:
1. Utah
2. New Hampshire
3. Idaho
4. Minnesota
5. Nebraska
6. Florida
7. Vermont
8. South Dakota
9. Massachusetts
10. Washington
Many of the top-ranking states share a common feature, which is strong performance in the education sector. U.S. News stated that education is the highest-weighted category in the 2025 rankings.
The rankings are based on a new survey showing what Americans believe states should prioritize and which issues are most pressing. Five states in the top ten prioritize education, while only Massachusetts ranks high in healthcare, the second-highest weighted category.
Utah, the first-ranked state, held the top spot for three consecutive years, with a labor participation rate ranking third and gross domestic product growth rate ranking fourth. Utah has never dropped out of the top five in the economic category for seven years.
Below are the ten states with the lowest rankings in the U.S.:
50. Louisiana
49. Alaska
48. Mississippi
47. New Mexico
46. West Virginia
45. Alabama
44. Arkansas
43. Michigan
42. Oklahoma
41. Pennsylvania
For more information, refer to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 Best States Rankings report.