Quick summary of the CNBC worst states to live list
CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business is in its 20th year. The 2026 edition increased the weight of a “Life, Health and Inclusion” category to 11.6% of a state’s overall score. That category blends measurable public-health and environmental metrics—crime rates, air quality indices, healthcare access and drug-death rates—with policy-related indicators such as protections against discrimination, limits on local nondiscrimination ordinances and abortion-related restrictions.
CNBC said its bottom ten for quality of life are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas and Tennessee. The outlet combined statistical measures with policy items when compiling the Life, Health and Inclusion score, a choice that state officials say alters the character of what is being measured.
Governors reactions and claims
Several governors and their offices strongly disputed CNBC’s conclusions, saying migration and economic data tell a different story.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office said in a statement that “people are voting with their feet,” adding that newcomers are choosing Arkansas for its policies and economic opportunities. The governor’s office pointed to population gains as evidence the state’s quality of life is improving.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s communications team said the ranking was “flawed” and “does not reflect reality,” citing Texas’ job growth, low taxes and recent Census-based population gains as contrary evidence.
A spokesperson for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp called the list “baseless,” arguing CNBC’s methodology prioritized policy indicators over affordability and economic opportunity that, the office said, matter more to residents.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s office said the report painted an incomplete picture and highlighted the state’s recent domestic migration gains and business expansions. “Tennessee continues to attract new residents and jobs,” an official statement said, urging readers to consider raw migration and employment data alongside headline rankings.
CNBC worst states to live list versus migration data
Officials challenging the ranking leaned on U.S. Census Bureau migration tables and a Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) analysis to argue that people are choosing to move to many states CNBC put at the bottom.
U.S. Census Bureau figures for the mid‑2024 to mid‑2025 period show Texas gained a net of roughly 67,000 residents through domestic migration, Tennessee gained about 42,000, and Alabama added more than 23,000 in domestic moves. Those were among the largest state gains reported in that one‑year window.
By contrast, the Census noted steep numeric losses in some large metro areas. Los Angeles County recorded a one‑year decline of more than 53,000 residents, while a Citizens Budget Commission study highlighted New York City’s net domestic outmigration of roughly 114,000 over the same span. The CBC—an independent New York policy group that tracks migration and fiscal trends—provided the city-level analysis cited by state officials.
Those contrasts are central to the governors’ argument: they say raw migration flows demonstrate demand for their states even if certain policy choices reduce scores on a composite quality‑of‑life index.
How CNBC measured quality of life
CNBC’s Life, Health and Inclusion category mixes objective public-health and environmental indicators with policy items. The study flags protections (or lack thereof) against discrimination, whether state law restricts local nondiscrimination ordinances, abortion‑related restrictions, and statutes affecting transgender rights among other items. Tennessee was noted in the report for laws affecting restroom access for transgender individuals and limits on local nondiscrimination measures, alongside drug‑death and other public‑health metrics.
That blend of hard data and value‑laden policy choices is why officials describe the ranking as political; CNBC says those items reflect quality‑of‑life concerns that many residents weigh when deciding where to live.
What readers should keep in mind
Methodology matters. Rankings that mix objective measures with policy judgments reflect editorial decisions about what quality of life means. Those choices will produce results that some observers view as politically charged, especially when they penalize or reward particular laws.
Claims of political bias are presented here as allegations from state officials. Readers should consult primary sources—the CNBC methodology documentation, U.S. Census Bureau migration tables, and the Citizens Budget Commission analysis—when weighing competing claims.
What comes next
Expect continued public debate. Governors will likely continue to cite Census updates, labor markets and fiscal indicators to rebut media rankings, while outlets that produce such studies will point back to their stated methods and data. Independent researchers and readers should compare raw migration and health data against composite indices to draw their own conclusions.
Source attribution
Reporting and data for this article come from Fox News Digital, CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business study, the U.S. Census Bureau migration tables and the Citizens Budget Commission analysis. Fox News Digital reported on governors’ statements and sought comment from CNBC.
Original reporting referenced: Fox News Digital. For the study and methodology: CNBC. For migration tables: U.S. Census Bureau. For the New York analysis: Citizens Budget Commission.
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