What is the worst US state to live in generally?

beon@sopuli.xyz to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 152 points –

I’m aware that, at the moment, Florida is deemed unsafe for people to travel to, but what is generally the worst state to live in? Factors such as education, religious extremism, crime, cost of food, healthcare, and access to other resources are relevant. Will “Deep South” states remain one of the worst places to live in due to traditionalism, or are more progressive states bound to grow worse?

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Every time ive seen an article about worst state it’s always Mississippi :-/. But these days thanks to awful leadership Florida and Texas are making a case for the crown.

You're not wrong.

Mississippi is typically ranked very low due to a history of poor public education standards as well as being a battleground for civil rights. Not much has changed.

Fortunately for Mississippi, Florida man is working overtime towards the enshitifcation of their own education system.

There's absolutely a direct correlation between education, human rights, and a higher standard of living.

Growing up in Alabama we used to joke that the unofficial AL state motto is “Well, at least we ain’t Mississippi” and Mississippi’s motto is “Well, at least we ain’t Missis…AW DAMMIT”

Ditto for Louisiana, it was always “well at least we aren’t Mississippi “.

Louisiana has the highest violent crime rate. It is the last state I would live in.

According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, the 5 most hazardous states in the U.S. in 2023 are:

Louisiana: Overall Crime Rate of 537.5/100,000 people, making it the most dangerous.

Mississippi: Overall Crime Rate of 413.2/100,000 people.

Alaska: Despite a low population, a high Overall Crimes Rate of 386.2/100,000 people.

Arkansas: Overall Crime Rate of 385.9/100,000 people.

New Mexico: Overall Crime Rate of 369.5/100,000 people.(More info about this)

You ain’t kiddin!

Source

I've also heard "Thank God for Mississippi" as a slogan for any of the underperformer states

Typically what happens when you rank 51st in most quality of life stats (which usually include DC alongside all 50 states).

Mississippi also just has really bad infrastructure. Like water is a concern in places there

It's a race to the bottom, and Florida isn't here for the second place!

(Or participation trophy? I can't decide what fits better)