CNBC's top 10 (and bottom 10) states to live and work in 2023

[Spider-Dan]

The business channel CNBC has released their annual rating of the 10 best and 10 worst states to live and work:

Each year, as part of our overall assessment of state business climates, CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business study considers how welcoming each state is to workers and their families.

Life, Health and Inclusion is one of the study’s ten categories of competitiveness. And this year, with the nationwide worker shortage so severe, the category is taking on increased importance in our methodology.

We consider multiple quality of life factors, including crime rates, environmental quality, and health care. We also look at the quality and availability of childcare, which is one of the most important factors in getting parents back into the workforce.

Casting the widest possible net for workers means not turning anyone away. So we consider inclusiveness in state laws by measuring protections against discrimination, as well as voting rights. And with surveys showing a substantial percentage of women considering abortion restrictions when making a choice of where to live in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights are part of this year’s equation as well.

Without further ado:

1. Vermont
Strengths: Air Quality, Health Care, Childcare, Voting Rights / Weaknesses: Worker Protections (strong, but not as strong as the rest)
2. Maine
Strengths: Low Crime Rate, Childcare, Healthcare, Inclusiveness / Weakness: Air Quality
3. New Jersey
Strengths: Reproductive Rights, Inclusiveness, Low Crime Rate / Weakness: Air Quality
4. Minnesota
Strengths: Health Care, Reproductive Rights, Voting Rights / Weakness: Crime
5. Hawaii
Strengths: Air Quality, Health Care, Low crime / Weaknesses: Reproductive Rights, Voting Rights, Childcare
6. Oregon
Strengths: Worker Protections, Reproductive Rights, Voting Rights / Weaknesses: Crime, Childcare, Health Care
7. Washington
Strengths: Worker Protections, Inclusiveness, Reproductive Rights / Weaknesses: Crime, Childcare
t-8. Colorado
Strengths: Childcare, Inclusiveness, Voting Rights / Weaknesses: Air Quality, Crime
t-8. Massachusetts
Strengths: Health Care, Worker Protection, Reproductive Rights / Weaknesses: Air Quality, Childcare
10. Connecticut
Strengths: Health Care, Low Crime, Worker Protections / Weaknesses: Air Quality, Voting Rights
...

41. Florida
Strengths: Air Quality, Childcare, Worker Protections / Weaknesses: Inclusiveness, Reproductive Rights
42. Arkansas
Strengths: Childcare, Air Quality / Weaknesses: Crime, Inclusiveness, Reproductive Rights, Health Care
43. Tennessee
Strengths: Childcare, Air Quality / Weaknesses: Inclusiveness, Crime, Voting Rights
44. Indiana
Strength: Crime Rate / Weaknesses: Childcare, Inclusiveness
45. Missouri
Strength: Air Quality / Weaknesses: Voting Rights, Reproductive Rights, Crime
t-46. Alabama
Strength: Air Quality / Weaknesses: Voting Rights, Worker Protections, Inclusiveness, Health
t-46. South Carolina
Strength: Air Quality / Weaknesses: Health, Worker Protections, Inclusiveness, Crime, Voting Rights
48. Louisiana
Strengths: [no metrics in the top 25] / Weaknesses: Child Care, Crime, Reproductive Rights
49. Oklahoma
Strength: Air Quality / Weaknesses: Reproductive Rights, Health, Voting Rights
50. Texas
Strengths: [no metrics in the top 25] / Weaknesses: Reproductive Rights, Health, Voting Rights, Worker Protections, Inclusiveness

[CF DolFan]

That's really surprising that a progressive left channel would rate conservative states where people are flocking to so low while rating the liberal states that people are leaving as high. My mind is blown!! hahahahaha

[Spider-Dan]

CNBC is as much of a "progressive left" channel as the Wall Street Journal - which is based in far left New York City - is a "progressive left" newspaper.

The Tea Party famously got its start on CNBC from one of their reporters.

[pondwater]

That's why there are 50 different states. Find somewhere that most aligns with your way of living. Everyone has their own version of pros and cons. LMFAO at the media deciding the best and worst places to live based on their own subjective factors. Maybe next they can put out their best and worst list of what to order at Taco Bell.

[Phishfan]

I'm really curious what worker protection Florida has that makes it a strength.

[Dave Gray]

^ Yeah, Florida is a weird one.  I was under the impression that "right to work" states favored employers over employees, in terms of termination.

But we do have decent unemployment protections, from what I understand.  I don't know if that's state by state.


It is a bit strange to list reproductive rights, since that is a political choice.  Some things, like crime/cost of living vs. wages are objectively bad.  And don't get me wrong -- reproductive rights being taken is bad, too.  But it's what a lot of those places want.

[Fau Teixeira]

Woo top 10 !!! ..

for the record .. i haven't had any issue with air quality at all. It's pretty freaking pristine here (at least in my part of CT)

[Brian Fein]

Ask anyone that lives in Florida what happened to their homeowners insurance in the past year...  And what's being done to control it?

[Spider-Dan]

It is a bit strange to list reproductive rights, since that is a political choice.

Healthcare, childcare, voting rights, and worker protections are all political choices.
What makes reproductive rights any different?

[CF DolFan]

Ask anyone that lives in Florida what happened to their homeowners insurance in the past year...  And what's being done to control it?

They are trying to come up with a solution. Some of the things passed last year will take time to have an effect and they are looking at other things. No doubt with all insurance companies leaving Florida it is a pretty big issue. Cutting out insurance fraud is just one way they are attacking it. 

[pondwater]

Imagine using a totally made up metric like "Inclusiveness" instead of COL and tax rates. And Mississippi didn't make the bottom 10? This has to be satire and/or partisan nonsense, just LOL

[Dave Gray]

Healthcare, childcare, voting rights, and worker protections are all political choices.
What makes reproductive rights any different?

Reproductive choice is a question of whether or not you have a right to make a personal choice.

It isn't the same as childcare.  There is no law in some states saying you aren't allowed to have childcare if you want it.
I'm not arguing that there is value in having reproductive rights, but it isn't comparable to those other things which are more about funding -- not whether or not you're allowed to do it.

[Sunstroke]

They are trying to come up with a solution. Some of the things passed last year will take time to have an effect and they are looking at other things. No doubt with all insurance companies leaving Florida it is a pretty big issue. Cutting out insurance fraud is just one way they are attacking it. 

Another way would be to have Florida can just ship a shitload of illegal immigrants to other states, burn a bunch of books, get rid of drag queens, and make the black community say "thank you" for teaching them useful skills.  I'm sure that would help their insurance issues magically go away.

[Spider-Dan]

Imagine using a totally made up metric like "Inclusiveness" instead of COL and tax rates.

What is the appropriate term for categorizing and ranking the states that are passing many laws targeting LGBT individuals?

This is a reasonable factor to consider when moving to a state.  It doesn't mean much to have a lower income tax rate if you face the prospect of being arrested for using a public bathroom.

[pondwater]

What is the appropriate term for categorizing and ranking the states that are passing many laws targeting LGBT individuals?

This is a reasonable factor to consider when moving to a state.  It doesn't mean much to have a lower income tax rate if you face the prospect of being arrested for using a public bathroom.

What exactly do you consider "targeting"? I mean, what is the appropriate term for categorizing and ranking the states that are passing many laws targeting gun ownership?