Housing News

Why Is This the Best State in America for the Third Year in a Row?

Forget coastal California, sunny Florida, and the bright lights of New York City. For the third year in a row, the best state in America has been Utah.

The Beehive State was named the best in the country in 2025, according to U.S. News & World Report. Utah earned high marks for its diverse economy, low crime rate, and strong student test scores.

“It’s not just our economy or our beautiful outdoors—it’s the hardworking, service-minded people who continue to make Utah the best place to live, work and raise a family,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in a statement.

The rankings analyzed 71 metrics in education; health care; economy; infrastructure; opportunities for affordability and equality; fiscal stability; natural environment; and crime and corrections. 

For those thinking of buying a home in Utah, the median home list price was $595,000 in May, according to Realtor.com data. That was higher than the national median of $431,250. But prices did come down 1.5% year-over-year.

And Utah residents earned more money on average than residents of many other states. Plus, the local economy is strong, making it a little easier for them to afford the pricier homes. The typical household income in the state was $92,846—compared to $77,839 in 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

The second top state was New Hampshire, which has seen strong growth in recent years as more folks priced out of the Boston area have moved in. The state’s low crime rate and high marks for its natural environment pushed it up in the rankings.

The median home list price in New Hampshire was $590,125 in May, according to Realtor.com.

Idaho rounded out the top three with a median home list price of $579,900. It moved up from fifth place in last year’s rankings thanks to its strong economy and low crime rate.

Here are the top 10 states in 2025:

1. Utah
2. New Hampshire
3. Idaho
4. Minnesota
5. Nebraska
6. Florida
7. Vermont
8. South Dakota
9. Massachusetts
10. Washington