Vermont tops CNBC quality-of-life ranking for sixth straight year

Vermont ranked as America’s top state for quality of life in CNBC’s 2026 America’s Top States for Business study, extending its run at No. 1 to six years. The category now accounts for 11.6% of each state’s overall score, up from about 10% last year, reflecting a tighter link between living conditions and corporate location decisions.

CNBC said return-to-office mandates and a decline in remote work have pushed employers to examine the places where they want staff to live and work. Tom Stringer of Stringer Site Selection told CNBC that companies are increasingly following people to attractive places rather than relying on workers to relocate for jobs.

The business ranking, now in its 20th year, scores quality of life using data including crime, air quality, health care, childcare cost and availability, state-law inclusiveness and reproductive rights. The result is a measure that links household conditions to the competition among states for investment and jobs.

Vermont leads despite housing stress

Vermont scored 233 out of 290 points, earning an A+ in CNBC’s quality-of-life category. CNBC cited reproductive rights, health, crime, inclusiveness and air quality as strengths, while identifying childcare as a weakness.

The United Health Foundation found that 54% of Vermonters surveyed in 2024 described their health as good or excellent, the highest share among states. CNBC also reported low crime and broad rights protections in the state.

Housing remains a material pressure point. The United Health Foundation ranked Vermont No. 47 for homelessness, and a state count cited by CNBC found more than 3,000 people unhoused as of January 2025 in a state of 644,000 residents. Gov. Phil Scott signed legislation passed by the Democratic-led legislature to restructure the homelessness response, including about $83 million for a range of shelter options with less reliance on unused hotel rooms.

New England dominates the top tier

Maine placed second with 232 points and an A+ grade. CNBC said the state had the nation’s lowest violent crime rate in 2024, at 100 incidents per 100,000 people, while also noting health challenges, including a No. 42 ranking for drug deaths and No. 35 for frequent mental distress, according to the United Health Foundation.

New Jersey ranked third with 223 points. CNBC cited the United Health Foundation’s finding that the state had the second-lowest premature death rate after Massachusetts and the Commonwealth Fund’s 2025 scorecard, which ranked New Jersey third for healthy lives. Air quality was listed as a weakness.

Minnesota followed with 210 points, helped by reproductive-rights protections, inclusiveness and health. CNBC cited the Guttmacher Institute on reproductive rights and Oxfam America on worker protections. Connecticut scored 205 points, supported by health, worker protections and low crime, while air quality weighed on its score.

Childcare and public safety shape results

Hawaii, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Dakota, Massachusetts and Nebraska also ranked among CNBC’s leading quality-of-life states. North Dakota stood out for childcare affordability and availability, with Child Care Aware of America reporting 478 licensed childcare centers in a state of fewer than 800,000 people and average costs equal to 9% of median income for a two-working-parent family.

Virginia’s score reflected low violent crime, with FBI statistics showing 218 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2024. CNBC cited a Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Public Policy analysis crediting the Ceasefire Virginia program with a 10% statewide homicide decline through 2024.

Massachusetts tied Nebraska at 184 points. CNBC said Massachusetts benefits from the nation’s highest number of primary care physicians per capita and the smallest uninsured population share, according to the United Health Foundation. Nebraska’s strengths included health and air quality, with the United Health Foundation reporting the lowest drug-death rate in 2023, at 8.7 per 100,000 people.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.