Millennials, also known as Gen Y, are the demographic cohort born between 1981 and 1996. Ranging in age from 25 to 40, they were the first generation to come of age with the Internet and social media, but have also lived through the 9/11 attacks, the War on Terror, the Great Recession, protest movements such as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ways in which COVID changed life in America — among other things bringing a significant portion of the workforce the ability to telecommute — have encouraged some millennials to reassess where and how they want to live. In addition, many now have or are planning families and want to make the best decisions for their children as well as themselves. These are 50 ways American life has changed in the last decade.
For those who want to make a move, some destinations are more hospitable than others. 24/7 Tempo has developed a list of the best and worst states for millennials, using data compiled by the credit reporting and advice site WalletHub. The site compared states across five key dimensions: affordability; education and health; quality of life; economic health; and civic engagement. The dimensions were evaluated using 34 variously weighted metrics, including everything from singles- and family-friendliness to share of millennial smokers and binge drinkers to average earnings and labor force participation rate grown for members of the generation.
The best and second-best states, according to the data, are Washington and Utah, which rank No. 1 for affordability and economic health, respectively. Washington is home to companies such as Starbucks and Microsoft, and its largest city, Seattle, is known for quality of life and civic engagement. Utah has a diversified economy covering industries such as tourism, mining, energy, agriculture, and information technology. These are the states with the best and worst economies.
Click here to see the best and worst states for millennials
At the other end of the list are West Virginia and New Mexico. The former is situated in the rust belt and has traditionally been dependent on the out-of-favor coal mining industry. The latter is home to such attractive places as Santa Fe and Taos, but may be a victim of its success in attracting residents, as it scores poorly for affordability.
50. West Virginia
> WalletHub score: 32.48
> Top metric: Affordability (#25 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 318,773 — 12th fewest
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49. New Mexico
> WalletHub score: 35.15
> Top metric: Affordability (#40 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 420,181 — 15th fewest
48. Mississippi
> WalletHub score: 36.80
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#21 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 558,856 — 16th fewest
47. Nevada
> WalletHub score: 39.74
> Top metric: Economic Health (#30 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 666,061 — 21st fewest
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46. Louisiana
> WalletHub score: 41.26
> Top metric: Affordability (#24 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 969,170 — 24th most
45. Arkansas
> WalletHub score: 41.36
> Top metric: Affordability (#26 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 577,184 — 18th fewest
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44. Kentucky
> WalletHub score: 43.09
> Top metric: Affordability (#11 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 854,727 — 24th fewest
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43. Alabama
> WalletHub score: 43.76
> Top metric: Affordability (#17 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 944,541 — 25th most
42. South Carolina
> WalletHub score: 43.97
> Top metric: Affordability (#21 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 995,900 — 23rd most
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41. Rhode Island
> WalletHub score: 45.43
> Top metric: Education & Health (#4 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 216,592 — 8th fewest
40. Delaware
> WalletHub score: 45.66
> Top metric: Education & Health (#20 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 184,440 — 6th fewest
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39. Alaska
> WalletHub score: 46.73
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#8 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 167,071 — 3rd fewest
38. Oklahoma
> WalletHub score: 47.02
> Top metric: Affordability (#19 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 801,484 — 23rd fewest
37. Hawaii
> WalletHub score: 47.30
> Top metric: Education & Health (#3 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 297,193 — 11th fewest
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36. Wyoming
> WalletHub score: 47.42
> Top metric: Affordability (#29 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 113,603 — 2nd fewest
35. Maine
> WalletHub score: 47.84
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#1 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 241,825 — 9th fewest
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34. Maryland
> WalletHub score: 49.09
> Top metric: Education & Health (#7 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,235,942 — 19th most
33. Connecticut
> WalletHub score: 49.71
> Top metric: Education & Health (#5 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 661,067 — 20th fewest
32. Montana
> WalletHub score: 49.91
> Top metric: Economic Health (#15 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 201,386 — 7th fewest
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31. Indiana
> WalletHub score: 50.35
> Top metric: Affordability (#15 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,299,852 — 18th most
30. Florida
> WalletHub score: 50.46
> Top metric: Economic Health (#14 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 4,108,725 — 4th most
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29. Vermont
> WalletHub score: 50.50
> Top metric: Education & Health (#6 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 112,136 — the fewest
28. Arizona
> WalletHub score: 50.56
> Top metric: Economic Health (#12 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,459,119 — 14th most
27. New Jersey
> WalletHub score: 50.61
> Top metric: Education & Health (#8 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,725,299 — 12th most
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26. Georgia
> WalletHub score: 50.73
> Top metric: Affordability (#14 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 2,172,009 — 8th most
25. Tennessee
> WalletHub score: 51.48
> Top metric: Affordability (#13 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,361,866 — 16th most
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24. Idaho
> WalletHub score: 51.62
> Top metric: Economic Health (#3 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 351,301 — 13th fewest
23. North Carolina
> WalletHub score: 52.54
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#10 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 2,058,843 — 9th most
22. New Hampshire
> WalletHub score: 54.14
> Top metric: Economic Health (#6 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 250,305 — 10th fewest
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21. Kansas
> WalletHub score: 54.55
> Top metric: Economic Health (#9 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 573,705 — 17th fewest
20. Ohio
> WalletHub score: 54.94
> Top metric: Affordability (#9 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 2,265,875 — 7th most
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19. Missouri
> WalletHub score: 55.03
> Top metric: Affordability (#3 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,226,666 — 20th most
18. Texas
> WalletHub score: 55.27
> Top metric: Affordability (#6 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 6,298,200 — 2nd most
17. Michigan
> WalletHub score: 55.85
> Top metric: Affordability (#8 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,921,051 — 10th most
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16. South Dakota
> WalletHub score: 55.88
> Top metric: Economic Health (#7 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 172,730 — 5th fewest
15. California
> WalletHub score: 55.99
> Top metric: Quality of Life (#11 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 8,800,969 — the most
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14. Oregon
> WalletHub score: 56.72
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#4 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 899,008 — 25th fewest
13. Nebraska
> WalletHub score: 57.35
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#6 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 389,407 — 14th fewest
12. New York
> WalletHub score: 57.35
> Top metric: Quality of Life (#2 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 4,121,641 — 3rd most
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11. Virginia
> WalletHub score: 58.02
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#2 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,768,034 — 11th most
10. Illinois
> WalletHub score: 58.09
> Top metric: Affordability (#4 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 2,591,190 — 5th most
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9. Pennsylvania
> WalletHub score: 58.43
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#9 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 2,501,404 — 6th most
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8. Wisconsin
> WalletHub score: 60.69
> Top metric: Civic Engagement (#3 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,114,706 — 22nd most
7. North Dakota
> WalletHub score: 61.58
> Top metric: Affordability (#2 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 171,736 — 4th fewest
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6. Colorado
> WalletHub score: 61.70
> Top metric: Quality of Life (#3 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,339,725 — 17th most
5. Minnesota
> WalletHub score: 62.10
> Top metric: Quality of Life (#4 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,150,923 — 21st most
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4. Iowa
> WalletHub score: 62.47
> Top metric: Affordability (#7 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 604,882 — 19th fewest
3. Massachusetts
> WalletHub score: 64.02
> Top metric: Education & Health (#2 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,431,870 — 15th most
2. Utah
> WalletHub score: 64.58
> Top metric: Economic Health (#1 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 704,125 — 22nd fewest
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1. Washington
> WalletHub score: 68.01
> Top metric: Affordability (#1 best in the nation)
> Millennials: 1,707,877 — 13th most
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