The Best And Worst States For Quality Of Life/Personal Cost Of Living

The Top And Bottom Five

For some entrepreneurs, when it comes to starting a company, the quality of life a location offers can be as important as the business considerations. CRN included quality of life and personal cost of living in its analysis of the best and worst states for starting a solution provider business. The criteria included financial metrics, such as sales taxes, personal income taxes and median household income, and quality of life factors such as crime rates and a state's percentage of people who use the Internet. The metrics were weighted to reflect their importance to solution providers based on a February 2013 CRN study conducted among 250 technology solution providers. The rankings were developed using data from The Council for Community and Economic Research, The Federation of Tax Administrators, the Tax Foundation, the FBI, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation's 2012 New State Economy Index, and the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. Here are the best and worst states for quality of life and personal cost of living. The first five states have the highest scores (No. 5-1), followed by the worst five states with the lowest (No. 46-50).

Best States No. 5: Utah

Utah is ranked No. 11 for overall cost of living (tied with Alabama and Mississippi), with a No. 16 rank for individual income taxes (5.0 percent) and No. 24 rank for sales taxes (6.0 percent).

The Beehive State is ranked No. 14 for median household income ($55,869), and it has a 10.4 percent poverty rate.

Utah is ranked No. 1 for the percentage of online households (90.1 percent), and it's ranked No. 27 for its crime rate. The median age of its 2,855,287 residents is a young 29.6.

Best States No. 4: Colorado

With a No. 31 rank for overall cost of living, Colorado isn't cheap. But, the state is ranked No. 13 for individual income taxes (4.6 percent) and No. 6 for sales taxes (2.9 percent).

The Centennial State is ranked No. 15 for median household income ($55,387), and it has a 9.10 percent poverty rate.

Colorado is ranked No. 18 for the percentage of online households (82.7percent), and it's ranked No. 20 for its crime rate. The median age of its 5,187,582 residents is a young 36.2.

Best States No. 3: Wyoming

Wyoming is ranked a relatively expensive No. 33 for overall cost of living. But, it's ranked No. 1 for individual income taxes (there isn't any) and No. 7 for sales taxes (4 percent).

The Equality State is ranked No. 14 for median household income ($56,322), and it has a 7.9 percent poverty rate.

Wyoming is ranked No. 7 for the percentage of online households (84.4 percent), and it's ranked No. 10 for its crime rate. The median age of its sparse 576,412 population is 36.8.

Best States No. 2: New Hampshire

Ranked at No. 40 for overall cost of living, New Hampshire isn't an inexpensive place to live (as much as it likes to compare itself to No. 42 Massachusetts). But, it's ranked No. 16 for individual income taxes (5 percent) and tied with several other states for having no sales taxes.

The Granite State is ranked No. 6 for median household income ($62,647), and it has a 5.6 percent poverty rate.

New Hampshire is ranked No. 4 for the percentage of online households (86.4 percent), and it's ranked No. 9 for its crime rate. The median age of its 1,320,718 residents is 41.5.

Best States No. 1: Virginia

Virginia, according to CRN's analysis, is the best state in which to live. It's ranked No. 22 for overall cost of living (tied with North Carolina), putting it roughly in the middle of all states. The state is No. 23 for individual income taxes (5.8 percent) and No. 17 for sales taxes (5.0 percent).

The Old Dominion state is ranked No. 7 for median household income ($61,882), and it has an 8.2 percent poverty rate.

Virginia is ranked No. 29 for the percentage of online households (79.8 percent), and it's ranked No. 7 for its crime rate. The median age of its 8,185,867 residents is a young 37.6.

Worst States No. 46: New Mexico

New Mexico is ranked No. 25 for overall cost of living, with a No. 14 rank for individual income taxes (4.9 percent) and No. 21 for sales taxes (5.1 percent).

But, the Land of Enchantment state is only ranked No. 43 for median household income ($41,963), and it has a 16.6 percent poverty rate.

New Mexico is ranked No. 39 for the percentage of online households (76.8 percent), and the state is ranked No. 46 for its crime rate. The median age of its 2,085,538 residents is 36.6.

Worst States No. 47: Tennessee

Tennessee is actually ranked No. 1 for overall cost of living (tied with Oklahoma). But, it's ranked No. 27 for individual income taxes (6.0 percent) and No. 46 for sales taxes (7.0 percent).

The Volunteer State is only ranked No. 45 for median household income ($41,693), and it has a 13.7 percent poverty rate.

Tennessee also scores poorly for other quality-of-life metrics including No. 47 for the percentage of online households (72.2 percent) and No. 47 for its crime rate. The median age of its 6,456,243 residents is 38.3.

Worst States No. 48: Mississippi

Mississippi is ranked No. 11 for overall cost of living (tied with Alabama and Utah). It's ranked No. 16 for individual income taxes (5 percent) and No. 45 for its relatively high sales taxes (7 percent).

The Magnolia State is No. 50 -- dead last among all states -- for median household income ($36,919), and it has a 17.4 percent poverty rate.

Mississippi is No. 49 for its percentage of online households (71.4 percent) and No. 29 for its crime rate. The median age of its 2,984,926 residents is 36.1.

Worst States No. 49: South Carolina

South Carolina is ranked No. 21 for overall cost of living. It's ranked No. 37 for individual income taxes (tied with Arkansas at 7.0 percent) and No. 25 for sales taxes (6.0 percent).

The Palmetto State is No. 42 for median household income ($42,367), and it has a 14.3 percent poverty rate.

South Carolina is No. 44 for the percentage of online households (74.4 percent). But, the state's overall quality-of-life ranking takes a hit from its No. 50 rank for crime rate. The median age of its 4,723,723 residents is 38.0.

Worst States No. 50: Arkansas

Arkansas is ranked an enviable No. 4 for overall cost of living. But, the envy pretty much ends there. The state is ranked No. 37 for individual income taxes (tied with South Carolina at 7 percent) and No. 25 for sales taxes (6 percent).

The Natural State is No. 48 for median household income ($38,758), and it has a 14.9 percent poverty rate.

Arkansas is No. 50, last among all states, for the percentage of online households (70.9 percent), and it's ranked No. 48 for its crime rate. The median age of its 2,949,131 residents is 37.5.