More than a year of quarantine has reminded all of us about the importance of home. And even as the pandemic subsides, some companies are rethinking their policies on remote work.
That helps explain why states are increasingly touting their quality of life in pitches to businesses. Plus, companies that are seeking workers in a time of shortages want to be in a state where workers will want to reside. This heightened competitiveness over quality of life puts some states at a disadvantage. By the numbers, they are just not great places to live.
The definition is changing, too. We now know how important public health systems and hospital capacity can be. Inclusive states value all their citizens and protect them from discrimination. And corporate America has spoken loudly, as well as quietly behind the scenes, against restrictive voting laws.
CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business study takes all of this into account, along with basic quality of life measures like crime rates and environmental quality, in our Life, Health and Inclusion category. Based on our methodology, this category is worth 15% of a state’s total points. Some states score highly as places to live, or more specifically, as places to remote work.
Unsurprised Texas came in at #2. Shocked Kansas didn’t make the list.



























