Nevada Ranks Low on U.S. News and World Report’s Best States List

• U.S News & World Report ranks Nevada as the 34th-best state
• Nevada ranks only three spots higher than California
• Tens of thousands of Californians have moved to Nevada in recent years

Nevada has seen more than 150K people move into the state since 2021, as many Californians, motivated by a lower cost of living, absence of a state income tax, and strong job growth, have migrated to the Silver State. A new report, however, suggests Nevada isn’t much better than the Golden State.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Nevada as the 34th Best State in the country. Utilizing 71 metrics across eight categories — Education, Health Care, Economy, Infrastructure, Opportunity, Fiscal Stability, Natural Environment, and Crime & Corrections — the annual report tallies which states are providing the best quality of living.

Nevada’s opportunity score, a combination of affordability, economic opportunity, and equality, ranked 38th.

California Migration

Nevada is best known for Las Vegas and its many casinos throughout the state. Dubbed “America’s Playground,” Nevada is famed for being a place where tens of millions each year visit to gamble, drink, consume cannabis, and partake in other vices.

In more recent years, Nevada has also become well known for being a relocation destination for Californians fed up with high taxes and fiscal instability.

Nevada’s population has grown by 150,500 people since 2021. The state population has increased every year since 2020, growing from a little more than two million people to over 3.26 million residents at the end of 2024.

The resettlement from California has drastically increased housing prices in Southern Nevada. Those Californians are willing to pay more for housing in exchange for lower long-term cost of living, but the U.S. News & World Report list suggests they’re also paying a price with poorer health care.

The top five best states to call home, per U.S. News & World Report, are Utah, New Hampshire, Idaho, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Florida, Vermont, South Dakota, Massachusetts, and Washington rounded out the top 10.

Pahrump for Retirement? 

Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno, Nevada’s largest cities, may not be much better than living in California. But for retirees, Zillow reported last year that there’s no better place to call home than Pahrump.

The online real estate marketplace wrote that Pahrump’s location on the Nevada-California border is a most ideal place to spend one’s post-work days.

“Fifty miles outside of Las Vegas, Pahrump is this year’s most popular retirement city. With a warm climate and more than one-third of its population aged 65 and older, Pahrump is an ideal community for retirees,” Zillow’s 2024 Most Popular Markets report read.