Where Virginia Ranks On List Of Best States To Live: New Report

VIRGINIA — Many folks spent time and money during the pandemic fixing up their homes as they hunkered down, and are happy to stay where they are.

Despite the popular perception of a "Great COVID Migration," only around 8.4 percent of Americans changed their address last year. That's an historic low, according to a new report by personal finance site WalletHub.

The website's editors did the math to determine the best states in which to put down roots. Virginia ranked in the top 10 at fifth place.

The WalletHub editors considered 52 factors including housing costs, income growth, education rate and quality of hospitals.

The more granular metrics included law-enforcement employees per capita, the number of bike trails, job opportunities, food insecurity, and general tax friendliness, among many others.

Massachusetts placed the highest overall, followed by New York, New Jersey, Idaho and Virginia in the top 5, respectively. Surprisingly, given its reputation for weird crime, alligators and sharks that chomp people, and hurricanes, Florida ranked No. 7.

Virginia's lowest score came for its economy (23), while marks were higher for affordability (16), education and health (15), safety (11) and quality of life (20).

After two consecutive years as the top state for business, Virginia slipped to third place in business and financial news network CNBC’s 2022 America’s Top States for Business rankings released in July.

Virginia saw its ranking drop considerably in the workforce and economy categories from 2021 to 2022, according to CNBC. The cost of living in many parts of the state has made it harder to attract and retain workers.

Valerie Stahl, assistant professor of City Planning at the School of Public Affairs, San Diego State University, said that one of the most significant — and uncontrollable — factors that determine where we live is not found among the WalletHub criteria. She points out that, "...the majority of Americans live within 20 miles of where their parents live. In addition, housing affordability is increasingly an issue for many Americans, and access to mobility is often bifurcated by race, class, and education."

In Stahl's analysis, "...education and income are the largest indicators of whether or not you move. Even if you want to move, if you can't afford the cost of movers or the deposit on a new apartment or the cost of daycare without grandma and grandpa's help, even if employment opportunities are elsewhere, you can be stuck in place."

Read more about the state rankings on WalletHub.