Be Thankful You Live In Connecticut: New Ranking

Connecticut may have just emerged from a lengthy budget impasse, and the current governor is deeply unpopular, but according to the finance website 24/7 Wall St. Connecticut is still a very desirable place to live.

The Constitution State is America's third Best State to Live In, the website writes, in part because of its high median household income and other factors. Two other New England states are first and second, Massachusetts (#1) and New Hampshire (#2).

"Most Americans do not choose where they grow up and often end up living in the same place as adults, either for financial reasons or because of social and familial connections," writes authors Samuel Stebbins and Michael B. Sauter. "Still, many Americans choose to pack up and move to a new state — usually in search of better life."

In addition to a high median household income, Connecticut residents also tend to live longer than those from most other states, according to the report. On average, Connecticut residents can expect to live about 80.8 years, the third-longest life expectancy in the nation.

To come up with its ranking, 24/7 Wall St. studied three socioeconomic criteria, "poverty rate, the percentage of adults who have at least a bachelor’s degree, and life expectancy at birth." Click here to read the full methodology.

"Residents with higher incomes are more likely to have access to healthy activities and food, and better health care," reports 24/7 Wall St. "In Connecticut, the median household income of $73,433 a year the third highest of any state, which might help explain the state’s long-lived population."

After Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut, rounding out the top five are Colorado and New Jersey.

As for the worst states to live in, head south, according to the 24/7 Wall St. The worst state is Mississippi, which has the nation's highest percentage of residents in poverty at 20.8 percent. The rest of the bottom five are Louisiana, West Virginia, Kentucky and Arkansas.

To read 24/7 Wall St.'s complete America's Best States to Live In, click here.

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