Here’s How North Carolina Ranks Among Best Places To Live

North Carolina has been ranked the 35th best place to live in the country, according to a new report that looked at three socioeconomic factors. The financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St. ranked every state and published the results Friday, Nov. 2. The rankings were based on an index that measured poverty rate, life expectancy at birth and the percentage of adults who have at least a bachelor’s degree.

These metrics, the authors said, effectively sum up quality of life when it comes to health and prosperity. North Carolina fell between Missouri and Michigan in the rankings. Here’s what the author’s found for our state:

• Ten-year population change: +13.4 percent (the 10th largest increase)
• Yearly unemployment: 4.6 percent (17th highest)
• Poverty rate: 14.7 percent (13th highest)
• Life expectancy at birth: 77.9 years (13th shortest)

Here’s what the authors wrote:

“North Carolina’s population has grown significantly in the past decade. The Tar Heel State has witnessed a 13.4% population increase over the last 10 years, a faster growth rate than the national population growth rate of just 8.0%. However, North Carolina falls behind in a few socioeconomic indicators — in comparison with nationwide measures and some other states. For example, the state’s median annual household income of $52,752 is lower than the national figure of $60,336 a year, and 14.7% of the population lives in poverty, which surpasses the national poverty rate of 13.4%.

“Life expectancy also falls short in North Carolina. If born today, an individual in the state is projected to live to nearly 78 years, one of the shorter life expectancies nationwide. The Chlamydia rate is also abnormally high in the state, at roughly 647 cases per every 100,000 people, the third highest rate among all states. Burglary is also an issue, with about 630 home break ins per 100,000 residents, the eighth highest burglary rate in the country.”

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Massachusetts was ranked the No. 1 place to live in America. While there are many reasons the Bay State topped the list, the authors highlighted its status as the most educated state in the country, with more than 43 percent of adults holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

“This high level of educational attainment sets these residents up for higher paying positions in their career,” the report said.

Massachusetts also had the fourth highest median household income at $77,385 a year and boasts a poverty rate of 10.5 percent, well below the national rate of 13.4 percent.

New England performed particularly well in the rankings, with New Hampshire, Connecticut and Vermont all cracking the top 10.

Here are the top 10 states to live in, according to 24/7 Wall St.

1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Connecticut
4. Colorado
5. Minnesota
6. New Jersey
7. Hawaii
8. Maryland
9. Vermont
10. Utah

On the flip side, several states in the South ranked as the worst places to live. Mississippi was ranked dead last with slow population growth and high unemployment, as well as the highest poverty rate and shortest life expectancy in the country.

“Mississippi is the worst state to live in because it ranks last in a number of important measures that determine overall quality of life in a state,” the authors wrote.

The state’s life expectancy — 74.9 years — was more than four years below the national life expectancy, the authors noted. This is likely due in large part to “suboptimal access to and quality of health care,” they said.

Mississippi also had the fewest primary care physicians per capita and the third highest rate of preventable hospitalizations.

West Virginia, Louisiana, Alabama and Kentucky rounded out the bottom five states, followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Tennessee and South Carolina.
24/7 Wall St. said rates for poverty and bachelor degree attainment came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey. Life expectancy figures came from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and were from 2014, the latest year data was available. Unemployment rates came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and were yearly for 2017.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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