With the 2024 election deciding for many who represents us in our state capitals, the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on “2024’s Best State Capitals to Live In.”
To identify the most livable seats of state government, WalletHub compared all 50 state capitals across 48 key metrics, ranging from the cost of living to K–12 school-system quality to the number of attractions.
The “top 20” state capitals to reside in were Austin, Texas; Madison, Wis., Raleigh, N.C.; Boise, Idaho; Atlanta; Lincoln, Neb.; Salt Lake City; Columbus, Ohio; Denver; Concord, N.H.; Nashville, Tenn.; Oklahoma City; Pierre, S.D.; Bismark, N.D.; Des Moines, Iowa; St. Paul, Minn.; Montpelier, Vt.; Annapolis, Md.; Olympia, Wash., and Boston.
Best versus worst numbers from the survey were:
- Concord, N.H., has the lowest violent-crime rate per 1,000 residents, which is 13.3 times lower than in Little Rock, Ark., the city with the highest.
- Austin, Texas, has the highest median household income (adjusted for cost of living), which is 2.2 times higher than in Hartford, Conn., the city with the lowest.
- Montpelier, Vt., has the highest share of adults aged 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree, which is 4.3 times higher than in Trenton, N.J., the city with the lowest.