The business network’s latest rankings identified Tennessee as the worst state to live in, followed by Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Georgia, Utah, Missouri, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Every single state on the list voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 and is governed primarily by Republicans. CNBC based its findings on factors including crime, healthcare access, childcare, air quality, and what it calls “inclusiveness” measures, including abortion laws and LGBT-related policies.
The rankings immediately ignited a political firestorm.
“Notice something in common?” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on social media while celebrating the report. “All led by Republicans.” Newsom’s supporters quickly amplified the ranking as proof that conservative governance produces poorer quality of life.
Others saw something very different.
Texas Congressman Lance Gooden fired back, arguing that the survey punished states for policies supported by millions of voters. “If you hate not paying income taxes, law and order, parental rights, smaller government, school choice, the Second Amendment, and criminal illegal aliens being arrested … Here’s another garbage list from the mainstream media!”
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who lives in Tennessee, mocked the findings and pointed to migration trends instead.
“Actually I noticed something else: The list is a bulls••• list that has nothing to do with quality of life for sane people,” Starbuck wrote, adding that the ranking was based on what he described as “far left” criteria rather than the issues families actually consider when choosing where to live.
That criticism appears to be gaining traction because the states CNBC condemned continue attracting new residents.
Texas remains one of the fastest-growing states in the nation and recently ranked among CNBC’s top states for business. Tennessee, Georgia, and other Southern states continue posting strong population gains as Americans relocate from higher-tax states in the Northeast and on the West Coast. CNBC itself acknowledged that Texas ranked fourth nationally as a place to do business despite placing near the bottom in quality of life.
Critics argue that if states such as Texas and Tennessee are supposedly among the worst places to live, it is difficult to explain why tens of thousands of Americans continue moving there while major progressive strongholds struggle with outmigration.
Recent census and migration data have shown continued population losses in places such as Los Angeles County and New York City, driven largely by housing costs, taxes, affordability concerns, and quality-of-life issues. Meanwhile, Sun Belt states continue benefiting from domestic migration patterns that accelerated after the pandemic.
CNBC defended its methodology by emphasizing healthcare access, worker protections, reproductive rights, childcare availability, crime rates, and environmental measures. The network increased the weight given to quality-of-life metrics in its broader annual business rankings, making those factors more influential than in previous years.
For many families leaving New York, Illinois, California, and other high-tax states, practical concerns such as affordability, lower taxes, economic opportunity, and public safety often outweigh ideological scoring systems created by media organizations.
Folks, this story is almost too perfect.
CNBC looked around America and somehow discovered that the ten worst places to live are all Republican states.
All ten. Every. Single. One.
Now, maybe that’s possible. Maybe it’s also possible that Elvis is running a bait shop on Mars.
Let’s examine this scientific marvel.
Texas? One of the fastest-growing states in America.
Tennessee? Growing like crazy.
Georgia? Booming.
Florida didn’t make the list, but give CNBC another year and they’ll probably discover that sunshine is a form of systemic oppression.
Picture a family sitting around the dinner table in New Jersey. “Honey, CNBC says Tennessee is one of the worst places to live.”
“Okay. How much is the property tax there?”
“About one-third of what we’re paying.”
“Start packing.”
That’s the problem for the media elite. Americans are conducting their own quality-of-life survey every day. It’s called a U-Haul rental agreement.
The network’s methodology heavily rewards progressive priorities while penalizing conservative policies. That’s their right. But don’t be shocked when people notice that the results conveniently mirror the politics of the people designing the scorecard.
The American people have been voting on this issue for years. Not with ballots. With moving trucks. And the moving trucks aren’t heading to Manhattan.
