U.S. News and World Report has released its rankings of the nation's best states to live in 2021, and the results may have some people talking. Is New York state ranked too low, or maybe perhaps too high? The recent rankings say that New York actually jumped up a few notches over the past three years, though is still overall down if you go back to 2017.

This study threw together a bunch of different metrics and factors to come up with their rankings, using health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime & corrections, and natural environment. For the second year in a row, Washington state ranks number one in the country as the best place to live.

As for New York? U.S. News ranks us at #21. We're just below our neighbors in New Jersey and Connecticut, who ranked 19th and 20th, respectively. While the Empire State still sits slightly above the middle of the list, many residents continue to leave in droves for warmer climates and less expensive areas to live, according to statistics. According to the estimates from the United States Census Bureau, 126,355 residents left New York between July 2019 and July 2020. It often comes down to; cost of living, poor job growth (especially upstate), taxes, and harsh winters. Now, add the fact that the state was one of the hardest hit areas from COVID in the world, and that's enough to send people packing, according to these estimates.

2021's Top Five Best States to Live:

  1. Washington
  2. Minnesota
  3. Utah
  4. New Hampshire 
  5. Idaho

Who came in dead last overall? Louisiana. Massachusetts was 9th, Vermont 11th, and Pennsylvania came in at 40th. Do we agree or disagree with these numbers? Reports like this are always subjective in many ways. Tell us your thoughts.

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