| 1. |
california
A place where six-figure salaries somehow qualify as "middle class," traffic is a lifestyle, and buying a starter home may require winning the lottery first.
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| 2. |
new york
Home to world-class culture, world-class taxes, and apartments that cost more per month than mortgages in much of America.
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| 3. |
illinois
A state where residents have become experts at watching pension obligations, corruption scandals, and moving trucks headed for Indiana and Florida.
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| 4. |
new jersey
Known for toll roads, property taxes, and explaining to everyone that it's "actually nice" once you leave the Turnpike.
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| 5. |
massachusetts
Highly educated, highly taxed, and highly convinced that every other state is doing everything wrong.
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| 6. |
oregon
Beautiful mountains and coastline paired with housing shortages, public drug policy experiments, and enough rain to make vitamin D supplements mandatory.
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| 7. |
washington
Stunning scenery, booming tech wealth, and housing prices that make even software engineers question their life choices.
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| 8. |
hawaii
Paradise—if you can afford it. Groceries, electricity, gasoline, and housing all seem determined to remind you that you're living on islands in the middle of the Pacific.
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| 9. |
connecticut
Wealthy suburbs surrounded by taxes, expensive utilities, and an identity crisis somewhere between New York and New England.
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| 10. |
maryland
Traffic around Washington, D.C., taxes that seem to multiply, and drivers who treat every commute like the final lap at Daytona.
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