Nevada Ranks Low on U.S. News and World Report’s Best States List
Posted on: May 14, 2025, 12:24h.
Last updated on: May 14, 2025, 09:41h.
- 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.
While Nevada scored high marks for infrastructure and economy, respectively ranked #4 and #9 in the nation, it was graded in the bottom 10 for crime and corrections (#41) and natural environment (#47). Nevada also scored poorly in education (#37), the category that carried the most weight (15.79%) in the calculation. Health care, carrying the second heaviest weight at 15.51%, also dragged the state’s score with a #36 ranking.
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.
California, which ranked three spots lower than Nevada, was graded as having the seventh-best health care. However, it ranked dead last in opportunity, 42nd in fiscal stability, and 38th in crime and corrections.
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.
Last Comments ( 5 )
People who have actually lived in Vegas rather than just visiting for a few days know that it's a horrible place to live unless you're very wealthy. Crime, homeless, drug dealers, prostitutes, hit and run deaths from drunk and stoned drivers.
Las Vegas and Nevada in general is Nickel and Diming their bread and butter gamblers. They are fed up with the incessant RESORT FEES, overpriced Food and Especially Drinks, sky high room rates (even COMPd Rooms with Resort Fees aren’t in reality FREE fellas!), and shows that are ridiculous in said SKY HIGH PRICES?! Enough is enough! I’m glad yo hear are finally getting fed up and staying away!
Get out of town we don't need you or your criminal background
Las Vegas is an absolute dump. It's a very dirty city with gross, uneducated people who can't drive and have no class. Stay as far away from this cesspool as you can.
NV health care is in the dump.