Work from anywhere? These states offer the best combo of low cost, no income tax, fast internet, and quality of life.
| # | State | Remote Score ▼ | Visual | Income | COL | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | South Dakota | 78/100 | $62,100 | 91 | A+ | |
| #2 | Wyoming | 76/100 | $65,000 | 95 | A+ | |
| #3 | Arkansas | 74/100 | $52,100 | 84 | A+ | |
| #4 | Indiana | 73/100 | $58,600 | 90 | A+ | |
| #5 | Mississippi | 73/100 | $46,500 | 83 | A+ | |
| #6 | Tennessee | 73/100 | $59,700 | 91 | A+ | |
| #7 | Kentucky | 72/100 | $55,600 | 87 | A+ | |
| #8 | Ohio | 72/100 | $59,300 | 89 | A+ | |
| #9 | Oklahoma | 72/100 | $55,800 | 86 | A+ | |
| #10 | West Virginia | 72/100 | $48,000 | 84 | A+ | |
| #11 | North Dakota | 71/100 | $64,800 | 93 | A+ | |
| #12 | Louisiana | 70/100 | $52,300 | 91 | A+ | |
| #13 | Nebraska | 67/100 | $66,500 | 91 | A | |
| #14 | New Mexico | 67/100 | $53,000 | 91 | A | |
| #15 | Texas | 67/100 | $67,300 | 93 | A | |
| #16 | Alabama | 66/100 | $56,200 | 87 | A | |
| #17 | Michigan | 66/100 | $63,400 | 89 | A | |
| #18 | Missouri | 65/100 | $61,000 | 88 | A | |
| #19 | Kansas | 63/100 | $62,100 | 89 | A | |
| #20 | Illinois | 62/100 | $72,200 | 93 | A | |
| #21 | Iowa | 62/100 | $63,200 | 90 | A | |
| #22 | North Carolina | 62/100 | $61,000 | 95 | A | |
| #23 | Georgia | 61/100 | $63,400 | 93 | A | |
| #24 | Nevada | 61/100 | $64,200 | 104 | A | |
| #25 | Pennsylvania | 60/100 | $67,600 | 94 | A | |
| #26 | Idaho | 58/100 | $62,300 | 97 | B+ | |
| #27 | Wisconsin | 57/100 | $64,800 | 93 | B+ | |
| #28 | Florida | 56/100 | $63,100 | 103 | B+ | |
| #29 | South Carolina | 55/100 | $56,200 | 92 | B+ | |
| #30 | Montana | 54/100 | $60,600 | 103 | B+ | |
| #31 | Utah | 52/100 | $75,600 | 103 | B+ | |
| #32 | Arizona | 51/100 | $65,600 | 103 | B+ | |
| #33 | Colorado | 51/100 | $80,200 | 105 | B+ | |
| #34 | New Hampshire | 51/100 | $83,300 | 112 | B+ | |
| #35 | Alaska | 50/100 | $77,800 | 127 | B | |
| #36 | Minnesota | 50/100 | $77,700 | 97 | B | |
| #37 | Delaware | 49/100 | $69,100 | 102 | B | |
| #38 | Washington | 49/100 | $82,100 | 115 | B | |
| #39 | Rhode Island | 46/100 | $71,200 | 109 | B | |
| #40 | Virginia | 45/100 | $80,600 | 103 | B | |
| #41 | Maine | 43/100 | $63,200 | 109 | B | |
| #42 | Vermont | 40/100 | $63,400 | 110 | C | |
| #43 | Maryland | 36/100 | $90,200 | 118 | C | |
| #44 | Oregon | 35/100 | $71,200 | 113 | C | |
| #45 | Connecticut | 31/100 | $83,800 | 121 | D | |
| #46 | Massachusetts | 30/100 | $89,700 | 135 | D | |
| #47 | New Jersey | 24/100 | $87,700 | 121 | D | |
| #48 | New York | 23/100 | $75,900 | 139 | F | |
| #49 | California | 21/100 | $84,900 | 142 | F | |
| #50 | Hawaii | 18/100 | $84,900 | 190 | F |
Based on our analysis of remote work locations across all 50 states, South Dakota ranks #1 with 78/100, while Hawaii ranks last at 18/100. The national average is 56/100.
States with no income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming) generally perform well on affordability metrics due to higher effective take-home pay.
The gap between the best and worst state is significant: 60/100. This means your choice of state can make a dramatic difference in your remote work locations. Use our cost of living calculator to run the numbers for your specific situation.
South Dakota ranks #1 with 78/100. Wyoming and Arkansas round out the top 3.
Hawaii ranks last (#50) with 18/100. California and New York are also among the worst.
The average across all 50 states is 56/100. The median is 58/100.
This data is calculated using the latest available median income, housing prices, cost of living indices, tax rates, and expense data for each state. Our methodology uses consistent formulas applied to all 50 states for fair comparison.