CNBC has released a list of the ten worst states to live in in 2026, and it ended up being a handy list of where to go to avoid the woke insanity of blue states.
Every single state on the list is red or red-leaning, and that's because CNBC uses garbage metrics like 'air quality,' access to childcare, 'Inclusiveness/civil rights laws,' and 'reproductive rights.'
These are the 10 worst states to live in for 2026, according to CNBC.
— Complex (@Complex) July 12, 2026
1. Tennessee
2. Texas
3. Indiana
4. Louisiana
5. Georgia
6. Utah
7. Missouri
8. Alabama
9. Oklahoma
10.Arkansas pic.twitter.com/7ndZstMleQ
As more companies insist their employees return to the office, they know they need to offer something in return to attract and retain good people. That’s why finding a place where people will want to live is an increasingly important factor as companies decide where to set up shop.
“Quality of place, especially investing in quality of place, is the top thing you can do for talent attraction and retention,” said site selection consultant Larry Gigerich, managing executive director of Ginovus in Indianapolis, and chairman of the Site Selectors Guild.
CNBC is placing increasing emphasis on Quality of Life, one of the 10 categories of competitiveness in our annual America’s Top States for Business study. It is our annual ranking of every state’s business climate, now in its 20th year. Under this year’s methodology, the category makes up 11.6% of a state’s overall score, up from about ten percent last year.
To score the states for quality of life, we use hard data on factors like crime rates, air quality and healthcare. We also consider the cost and availability of childcare, inclusiveness of state laws, and reproductive rights. Some states offer exemplary quality of life. But these ten states do not make the grade.
States that made the top ten list of best states include Virginia, Hawaii, Minnesota, New Jersey, Maine, and Vermont.
Sure.
Yeah, it must be all the states people are moving to that are terrible places to live, while the socialist Hellholes people are fleeing in large numbers that are the great places to live or something. pic.twitter.com/3BrKoN73wt
— John Hawkins (@johnhawkinsrwn) July 12, 2026
That's it.
New Jersey, Vermont, Hawaii, and Virginia all lost population, while almost all of those 'bad' states gained population.
I totally agree…Tennessee is the worst!!
— Nick Freitas (@NickJFreitas) July 12, 2026
Please tell all of your woke leftist friends what a terrible place it is and that they should never move here under any circumstances.
Yes. Tennessee is just awful. Don't move there.
(That's sarcasm, by the way)
Texas is horrible, never come here!
— Donut Operator 🍩 (@DonutOperator) July 13, 2026
Heh.
It all goes back to the same metrics time and time again. If these states don't have all the freebies as other states, they don't qualify. It ignores the economic growth and focuses on what is driving stagnation as a good thing.
— Redneck Rogue Elf, 🐿 Whisperer (@TheRogue_Elf) July 13, 2026
They're more concerned about LGBTQ+ rights and abortion than actual metrics of living.
Worth noting, the CNBC rankings included points for inclusivity, worker protections, and abortion rights. Hence why they picked 10 red states for their worst 10.
— Lex Jurgen (@Lex_Jurgen) July 12, 2026
That's all it boils down to.
If Tennessee was really the worst state to live in people wouldn’t be moving there in large numbers, which they are.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 12, 2026
Typical nonsense. https://t.co/jMlfMCb8sw
Of course it's nonsense, but we hope Leftists listen to them.
These lists are always like “Yeah, the economy, housing affordability, and cost of living are better in these states, but they have a lack of trans health care so gotta put them below New Jersey.” https://t.co/KE4r86O9D5
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) July 12, 2026
Bingo. That's exactly how they rank this stuff. It's diseased and weird.
Indiana resident here.
— TheMicahBeckwith (@MicahBeckwith) July 12, 2026
To all the leftists in CA, NY, and especially IL: this list is accurate.
Avoid these 10 states at all costs. You’ll hate them. Taxes are too low, crime isn’t high enough, and hardly anyone speaks fluent gender-fluid intersectionality. 😱 https://t.co/Ywj7fnROtw
Leftists will be miserable in Texas. Avoid it.
True if you live in a retarded parallel universe. https://t.co/O5CLql4q49
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) July 12, 2026
Clearly, the folks at CNBC do.
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