Every year, millions of Americans weigh their options and consider picking up everything they own to start fresh somewhere new. Yet just as revealing as the states people flock to are the ones they actively avoid. According to a SpareFoot survey of more than 1,100 Americans, the top five states people would least like to move to are California, New York, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and North Dakota. The reasons range from punishing costs and persistent crime to brutal climates and healthcare deserts – and the data backing those instincts is hard to argue with.
Americans say good weather, low crime rates, and a low cost of living make a place desirable, while high crime, a high cost of living, and high taxes make a place undesirable, according to a Clever Offers survey of 1,000 Americans conducted in 2025. These preferences line up almost perfectly with the states people are running from. Here is a gallery of the states Americans consistently , and the numbers that explain why.
1. California – The Exodus State
The U-Haul Growth Index, which analyzes one-way customer transactions during 2025, shows California ranks last with the greatest out-migration for the sixth consecutive year. That is a remarkable streak for a state that was once considered the ultimate American dream destination. California once again led the nation in outbound migration in 2025, as more residents packed up and left the Golden State than moved in, continuing a trend that has now stretched six consecutive years, with a net loss of approximately 216,000 residents.
Cost of living drives California departures, with housing expenses often double the national average and a median home price of $809,227. California carries the nation’s highest state income tax rate at 12.3 percent, while slow job growth and 441 businesses relocating headquarters since 2018 create economic concerns. A statewide survey found that a significant share of Californians have seriously considered leaving the state because of housing costs, with roughly 37% of Californians saying they have seriously considered leaving the state because of housing costs. In the Clever Offers survey, California tops the least desirable list, with 28% calling it one of the worst states to live in.
2. New York – Taxed Out and Leaving
New York leads in total volume with 446,814 net domestic migration loss from 2020 to 2024, the largest absolute population decline from state-to-state moves. That is not a statistical blip – it is a sustained, years-long vote of no confidence by hundreds of thousands of real people. States that have consistently had a net loss of residents, such as New York, saw fewer people leaving in 2024, though New York still experienced a net loss of 120,917 residents for the year ending July 1, 2024.
New Jersey had 70.5% of moves away from the state compared to moves into the state, and around a third of the people surveyed said they were leaving New Jersey because they were retiring. New York tells a very similar story. A mass exodus of New York City residents during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to 63.1% of moves leaving New York in 2021, as people wanted to leave cramped apartments and have more space, with wanting to be closer to family and retirement also being major reasons. The high cost of housing and taxes remain the central complaints that continue to push residents toward the exits.
3. Louisiana – Dangerous, Poor, and Struggling
Louisiana has lost population every year in the recent past. According to WalletHub, it’s the most dangerous state to live in – the study ranked every state under five categories that go beyond crime statistics: personal and residential safety, financial safety, road safety, workplace safety, and emergency preparedness. It is a sobering verdict for a state with deep cultural heritage. Louisiana leads the nation in homicide rates at 15.8 per 100,000, boasts the highest incarceration rate at 680 per 100,000, faces elevated poverty at 19%, significant food insecurity, and holds the lowest school spending in the United States.
WalletHub’s 2025 Best States list ranks Louisiana 49th for livability, citing poverty, poor health, and low income growth. The roots of the problem run deep. Nineteen percent of people in the state live in poverty, compared to 11 percent nationwide. Gangs and drugs are also a problem, and a 2024 report found that three-quarters of Louisiana school districts are chronically underfunded, while that same year the governor declared a state of emergency due to a police officer shortage that increased response times and put public safety at risk. Louisiana ranks at the bottom with a score of just 10.00 in quality-of-life measures, revealing the region’s pressing challenges across healthcare, education, and economic opportunity. The state has consistently ranked poorly, suggesting slow progress in improving living conditions.
4. Mississippi – The Bottom of Nearly Every List
Nearly 19% of Mississippi’s residents live at or below the poverty line. The per capita income for the state is $30,529, the lowest in the nation. Levels of unemployment and food insecurity are some of the worst in the country. These are not temporary growing pains – they are deeply entrenched structural problems that keep the state near the bottom of virtually every national ranking. Mississippi’s infrastructure, education, economy, and healthcare scores contribute to the state’s low ranking, and its infrastructure is still the worst in the nation.
States in the Southern U.S., including Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi, landed in the lowest tier of quality-of-life rankings, indicating overarching regional struggles. These states share common issues such as low median household incomes, high poverty rates, and under-performing public schools. Mississippi consistently sits at or near the bottom in education outcomes and healthcare access, making it deeply unattractive to potential movers. Mississippi also had one of the lowest percentages of people with insurance in 2025, as well as having one of the highest weekly hours worked. Hard work and thin paychecks with little safety net is not a combination that draws people in.
5. Alaska – Isolation, Crime, and the Cold Reality
When measuring by percentage, Alaska shows 57 percent outbound moves, the highest ratio of people leaving versus arriving. More than half of all moves involving the state are outbound – a striking number that reflects how challenging life there can be for those not specifically drawn to its extreme lifestyle. U.S. & World News ranks Alaska as the second-worst state in the nation to live in, significantly worse than in previous years. Alaska continues to struggle with some of the lowest education outcomes in the country, and its economy has been hampered by slow growth and a heavy reliance on volatile resource revenues. Crime rates remain among the highest nationally, and infrastructure gaps – particularly in remote areas – make transportation, communication, and essential services more difficult to deliver.
Alaska has higher than average crime, unemployment, and poverty. The schools aren’t great and the cost of living is actually quite high, given that everything has to be shipped north. The remoteness that makes Alaska spectacular for adventurers is the very same quality that makes daily life logistically and financially punishing for ordinary families. States known for harsher climates like Alaska also feature towards the bottom of quality-of-life lists, pointing towards possible correlations between environmental conditions and quality of life indices. For most Americans weighing where to plant roots in 2026, the calculus simply does not add up.
6. New Mexico – Where Opportunity Falls Short
New Mexico dropped below Louisiana in 2025, making it the worst place to live according to WalletHub’s data, based on comparisons between scores in the 2024 and 2025 Best States To Live rankings. That is a sobering ranking for a state with stunning landscapes and a rich cultural identity. New Mexico faces low opportunity metrics, marked by a 17% poverty rate, the highest national childhood poverty level at 26%, and a high school graduation rate of only 75%, notably below the national average of 85.8%. The state grapples with a web of interconnected struggles, earning it the unenviable title of worst in education.
In 2025, New Mexico ranked highest for the percentage of the population living in poverty, while also seeing some of the highest crime rates in the country. Those two facts alone – extreme poverty and high crime – are enough to keep most prospective movers away. New Mexico ranks 47th in the nation according to the U.S. News & World Report rankings, and the problems span healthcare access, economic opportunity, and public safety simultaneously. As WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo noted, “When deciding on a place to move, you should first consider financial factors like the cost of living, housing prices, and job availability. Many states have strong economies, though, so you should also consider how where you live will impact your health and safety, and whether you will have adequate access to activities that you enjoy.” The results show that while some states excel in safety and opportunity, others fall short in multiple categories, making them less ideal places to live.
