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Georgia doesn’t crack top half of ‘Best States to Live In’ list. Huh?

Josh Green

Mon, 08/11/2025 – 15:06

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Georgia doesn’t crack top half of ‘Best States to Live In’ list. Huh?

Josh Green

Mon, 08/11/2025 – 15:06

For generations, Georgia’s population growth trends and marketing campaigns have painted the country’s eighth most populous state as a generally great place to live. But according to a new analysis, there’s nothing exceptionally peachy about living here, all things considered.  WalletHub, a personal finance website that examines city and statewide trends, has published its 2025 ranking of “Best States to Live In” as a means of helping people itching to relocate pick the next best place to move. Georgia didn’t crack the top half of best states this year, according to the study.   WalletHub analysts scored all 50 states across five key dimensions—affordability, economy, safety, quality of life, and education and health—using the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other sources. Each of those categories was then evaluated with 51 relevant metrics, including aspects such as weather, recreational opportunities, and even miles of trails for biking and walking. How’d Georgia come out? The No. 27 best state overall, per WalletHub’s findings. 

Something peachy missing here? WalletHub

Georgia scored in the top 20 in only two categories: affordability rank (No. 18) and quality of life ranking (No. 19). The Peach State scored the lowest (No. 41) in the education and health category. The top five states were Massachusetts (No. 1), Idaho, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, respectively. (Frigid winters apparently weren’t considered too much of a detriment.) 

Looking north from downtown Atlanta in 2023. Shutterstock

The bottom-dwellers, meanwhile, included what could be called surprises: Alaska (No. 46), Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico. A couple of random tidbits provided by WalletHub reps: Maine notched the fewest violent crimes per 1,000 residents—7.3 times less than New Mexico, the state with the highest crime rate right now. And next-door Alabama was rated as having the highest quality of roads—7.4 times higher than the state with the lowest, Rhode Island. In more upbeat news, WalletHub in May scored Atlanta—Georgia’s most important asset (yes, we’re biased)—as the No. 2 summer travel destination across the U.S….Follow us on social media: Twitter / Facebook/and now: Instagram  • Is Atlanta’s hot streak ending—or are red flags overblown? (Urbanize Atlanta) 

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WalletHub
State of Georgia
Georgia
City of Atlanta
Atlanta Studies
Georgia Quality of Life
Atlanta Cost of Living
Georgia Cost of Living
Georgia Hospitals
Peach State

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Something peachy missing here? WalletHub

Looking north from downtown Atlanta in 2023. Shutterstock

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Analysis weighed factors including cost of living, income growth, and quality of hospitals

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Citywide

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