Best Places to Live in the US: A Method, Not a Ranking

There is no best place, but there is a method

Every "best places to live" list ranks somewhere first. The useful question is narrower: best for what, on what income, at what stage of life.

This guide does two things. It sets out the current figures for the western destinations Californians actually move to, from Census Bureau QuickFacts. And it gives you a method for deciding between them that does not depend on anyone else’s ranking.

All figures are July 1, 2025 population estimates with 2020–2024 income and housing data in 2024 dollars.

The states, compared

• Utah — 3,538,904 people, +8.2% since 2020. Income $95,166, rent $1,496, home value $489,400, homeownership 70.2%. The fastest-growing state here.
• Montana — 1,144,694, +5.6%. Income $72,509, rent $1,081, home value $375,800, homeownership 69.2%.
• Colorado — 6,012,561, +4.1%. Income $95,470, rent $1,761, home value $539,400, homeownership 66.2%.
• Wyoming — 588,753, +2.1%. Income $76,176, rent $992, home value $309,700, homeownership 71.8%. No state income tax.
• New Mexico — 2,125,498, +0.4%. Income $64,059, rent $1,067, home value $248,100, homeownership 70.0%. The cheapest housing here.
• California — 39,355,309, −0.5%. Income $99,122, rent $2,036.

Read the homeownership column rather than the income column. Every state on this list except California is between 66% and 72%. That is the actual difference people are moving for.

The cities, compared

• Seattle — 784,777, +6.5%. Income $123,860, rent $2,030, home value $938,600. No state income tax, higher sales tax.
• Phoenix — 1,665,481, +3.6%. Income $81,332, rent $1,582, home value $420,700.
• Denver — 740,613, +3.5%. Income $94,718, rent $1,831, home value $616,000.
• Boise — 238,429, +1.1%. Income $83,904, rent $1,446, home value $484,800.
• San Diego — 1,406,106, +1.6%. Income $108,077, rent $2,313, home value $906,700.
• Sacramento — 536,449, +2.2%. Income $87,321, rent $1,779, home value $506,300.
• San Francisco — 826,079, −6.0%. Income $140,970, rent $2,476, home value $1,394,500.

Seattle is the outlier worth noticing: it grew 6.5% while San Francisco fell 6%, at a housing cost a third lower and with no state income tax.

Best for a specific thing

Highest salaries. The Bay Area, still, by a wide margin — and it takes most of it back in rent. See moving to the Bay Area.

Buying a first house on a normal salary. Sacramento, Boise, Phoenix, and anywhere in New Mexico or Montana. See Sacramento and Boise.

Keeping a high salary and cutting the cost. Seattle, for the tax structure, or Denver. See Seattle and Denver.

Weather. San Diego, without much argument. See San Diego.

Outdoor access. Colorado, Utah, and Montana. All three put mountains within an hour of a city.

Lowest cost of entry. New Mexico and Wyoming — a $248,100 and $309,700 median home value respectively. See New Mexico and Wyoming.

Tax structure. Wyoming has no income tax; Washington has none on wages but a higher sales tax and a capital gains tax; Montana has no sales tax.

The method

Six questions, in this order. They will narrow a list of twenty places to three faster than any ranking will.

• Does your income move with you? If yes — remote work, retirement, a portable business — cost of living is the main variable and almost everything on this list improves your position. If no, start with where the jobs in your field are and let that make the shortlist.
• What do you actually need to buy or rent? Compare the specific thing — a two-bedroom, a house with a yard — not the median.
• What is the full tax picture? Income, sales, and property together. A no-income-tax state with high property tax can cost a homeowner more.
• What is the healthcare access? Specialists, hospital distance, and network coverage. This matters more with age and more in rural places than people plan for.
• Can you tolerate the weather at its worst? Not the average — the worst month. A Phoenix July, a Montana January, a Seattle December.
• Who do you know there? The most reliable predictor of whether a move sticks, and the one no ranking measures.

What lists get wrong

• They rank on medians. A city median tells you nothing about the neighborhood you would actually live in.
• They ignore the income side. Cheap housing plus a weak job market is not the same as affordable.
• They use stale data. Housing markets moved sharply after 2020. Check the date on any figure you rely on, including these — they were reviewed in September 2026.
• They quote one tax and not the others. No income tax is a headline, not an analysis.
• They do not price the move. An interstate move of a full house is a real number, and it should be in the decision.

Before you commit: visit properly

Spend a week, not a weekend. Rent in the neighborhood you are considering rather than staying downtown. Do the commute at the actual hour. Visit a grocery store, a doctor’s office, and a school if you have children.

And if you can, visit in the worst month rather than the best one. Everywhere is pleasant in September.

Then price the move

An interstate move is normally quoted as a flat rate against a confirmed inventory. What decides whether the number holds is how accurate that inventory is, which is what a video walkthrough or an onsite inspection is for.

Two things to get in writing before you book: whether the estimate is binding, and which valuation option applies. The FMCSA explains binding estimates and sets out the two valuation choices — Released Value at 60 cents per pound per article, or Full Value Protection. Our explainer is at moving insurance and valuation.

Halo by California Movers USA moves households out of California to all of these destinations with in-house crews rather than subcontracted labor. A sales specialist confirms the scope, a dispatcher coordinates the schedule and access at both ends, and a lead foreman runs the day. See state-to-state moving, long-distance moving, and pricing.

Questions people ask

Which state is growing fastest?

Of these, Utah at 8.2% since April 2020, followed by Montana at 5.6% and Colorado at 4.1%.

Where is housing cheapest?

New Mexico, with a $248,100 median owner-occupied home value, then Wyoming at $309,700 and Montana at $375,800.

Which states have no income tax?

Of those covered here, Wyoming and Washington. Washington makes up for it with higher sales tax and a capital gains tax on certain gains.

Is it cheaper to leave California?

On housing, almost always. On income, usually not. Whether you come out ahead depends on whether your salary moves with you.

How long does an interstate move take?

One to two days to Idaho, Arizona or Utah from the Bay Area; two to four to Colorado, Montana or Wyoming. Delivery is a window, not a date.

What should I check before I decide?

The full tax picture, healthcare access, the worst month of weather, and the actual cost of the move.

Figures from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts; reviewed September 2026.

Tell us where you are considering and we will come back with a starting quote.