Red States Dominate CNBC’s ‘Worst Places to Live’ Ranking, Sparking Bias Debate
TL;DR
CNBC’s 2026 quality-of-life ranking lists Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas and Tennessee as the bottom 10 states to live in, all Republican-led, prompting critics to allege liberal bias in the criteria despite ongoing population growth in several of those states. The ranking factors include crime, air quality, healthcare, childcare, inclusiveness, and reproductive rights, with some commentators arguing the metrics unfairly penalize conservative policy environments.
- CNBC survey mocked after top 10 ‘worst places to live’ are all red states New York Post
- These are America’s 10 worst states to live in for 2026 CNBC
- Tennessee has the worst quality of life in the U.S., per CNBC ranking Axios
- Texas is the second-worst state to live, according to a new study. See why Austin American-Statesman
- Utah ranks 6th worst state to live in, citing health and childcare concerns ABC4 Utah
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