Montana Might Not Be the Best State But It Ranks High For Something Else
We've already talked about the possibility that Montana's 15 minutes of fame might be coming to an end. Well, a recent survey may support this idea as well.
In the survey to potentially end all surveys, WalletHub has published their "2023 Best States to Live in" and to many Montanans' delight, I'm sure, we don't even make it into the top 10. For what it's worth, Montana didn't make it into the top 10 last year either.
Where Does Montana Rank?
For this study, they considered the following variables:
- Affordability
- Economy
- Education & Health
- Quality of Life
- Safety
Overall, Montana ranked at #19, so our state is in the top 20. You might think that affordability would have brought our ranking down, but we're actually pretty middle-of-the-pack--at a ranking of 27. Montana ranked the lowest for safety, which may not come as a surprise given other recent data about the safety of our cities.
Related: Startling Data About the Safety of Montana's Cities
Where Montana Excels
What might be helping Montana to rank in the top 20 overall is actually our education & health score--a 16, but the highest ranking? The economy.
This should come as a surprise. Only two years ago, Montana had the seventh strongest economy in the U.S. according to a press release from Governor Greg Gianforte. Montana cities have ranked high as good places to start a business.
Related: 4 Montana Cities Rank High for Starting a New Business
The student broke down the economy into factors like the unemployment rate, the share of the population living in poverty, and tax friendliness. There were 15 factors overall. Montana ranked at #3 overall for its economy in the "2023 Best States to Live In" study.
But the ranking that may support the idea that people might not want to come here anymore? Montana's quality of life. Montana ranks 29th overall.