Special Report

The Best County to Live In Every State

Ingus Kruklitis / iStock via Getty Images

Many of the most commonly cited economic indicators — including unemployment, gross domestic product, and industrial output — are useful gauges of prosperity and productive capacity at the national level. But when it comes to determining overall quality of life in a given country, any single social or economic metric inevitably falls short.

In the absence of a comprehensive measure of financial and social well-being across broad populations, the United Nations Development Programme created the Human Development Index, or HDI. The HDI has three main components — life expectancy at birth, educational attainment, and financial stability. When combined, these indicators offer insight into living standards for individuals within a given country or region.

According to the latest HDI report, the United States ranks 21st, behind Australia, Canada, and several European and Asian countries. But while the U.S. as a whole trails many other highly developed parts of the world, in communities across the country, overall quality of life is on par with the highest ranking nations in the HDI report. (This is how America’s 20 richest cities compare to China’s.)

Using an index inspired by the HDI, 24/7 Wall St. identified the best county or county equivalent to live in in each state. Counties are ranked on a combination of three measures – average life expectancy at birth, the share of adults with a bachelor’s degree, and the poverty rate. Data used to calculate rankings are five-year averages from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey and County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a joint program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Due to recent changes in county distinctions, all ACS data for Connecticut is current as of 2021. Counties with incomplete data were excluded from analysis.

Nationwide, 34.3% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, 12.5% of the population live below the poverty line, and average life expectancy at birth stands at 78.5 years. In the vast majority of states – even those where these indicators lag well behind the national average – there is at least one county, or county equivalent, where the population is healthier, better educated, and more financially secure than the U.S. population as a whole.

While independent of one another, the measures used to calculate this ranking are strongly correlated. Americans with a college education are far less likely to experience poverty in their lifetime than those with lower educational attainment. Additionally, well-educated and financially secure populations also tend to report better health outcomes.

In all but four of these places, the median household income exceeds the comparable statewide median, often by tens of thousands of dollars a year. (Here is a look at the richest city in every state.)

Alabama: Shelby County

Jacqueline Nix / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.3 years (state: 74.8 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.9% (state: 15.7%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 45.6% (state: 27.2%)
  • Median household income: $90,618 (state: $59,609)
  • County seat: Columbiana
  • Counties considered in state: 67

Alaska: Aleutians East Borough

Vipersniper / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 100+ years (state: 78.6 years)
  • Poverty rate: 12.6% (state: 10.5%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 16.9% (state: 30.7%)
  • Median household income: $79,961 (state: $86,370)
  • County seat: Sand Point
  • Counties considered in state: 24

Arizona: Maricopa County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.6 years (state: 79.1 years)
  • Poverty rate: 11.5% (state: 13.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.0% (state: 31.8%)
  • Median household income: $80,675 (state: $72,581)
  • County seat: Phoenix
  • Counties considered in state: 15

Arkansas: Benton County

Matthew Campbell / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.5 years (state: 75.5 years)
  • Poverty rate: 7.9% (state: 16.2%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 35.5% (state: 24.7%)
  • Median household income: $85,269 (state: $56,335)
  • County seat: Bentonville
  • Counties considered in state: 75

California: Marin County

Darren415 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 85.3 years (state: 81.0 years)
  • Poverty rate: 7.0% (state: 12.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 61.1% (state: 35.9%)
  • Median household income: $142,019 (state: $91,905)
  • County seat: San Rafael
  • Counties considered in state: 57

Colorado: Pitkin County

Jonathan Ross / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 92.5 years (state: 80.0 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.7% (state: 9.6%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 63.1% (state: 43.7%)
  • Median household income: $96,123 (state: $87,598)
  • County seat: Aspen
  • Counties considered in state: 59

Connecticut: Fairfield County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.1 years (state: 80.1 years)
  • Poverty rate: 9.2% (state: 10.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 49.2% (state: 41.4%)
  • Median household income: $101,194 (state: $90,213)
  • County seat: None
  • County equivalents considered in state: 8

Delaware: New Castle County

Robert Kirk / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 77.9 years (state: 78.0 years)
  • Poverty rate: 10.5% (state: 11.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 38.3% (state: 34.5%)
  • Median household income: $85,309 (state: $79,325)
  • County seat: Wilmington
  • Counties considered in state: 3

Florida: St. Johns County

GabrielPevide / Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.9 years (state: 79.7 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.8% (state: 12.9%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 47.4% (state: 32.3%)
  • Median household income: $100,020 (state: $67,917)
  • County seat: St. Augustine
  • Counties considered in state: 67

Georgia: Forsyth County

Thomson200 / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.3 years (state: 77.3 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.6% (state: 13.5%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 56.2% (state: 33.6%)
  • Median household income: $131,660 (state: $71,355)
  • County seat: Cumming
  • Counties considered in state: 158

Hawaii: Honolulu County

sorincolac / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.4 years (state: 82.3 years)
  • Poverty rate: 8.8% (state: 9.6%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.6% (state: 34.7%)
  • Median household income: $99,816 (state: $94,814)
  • County seat: Honolulu
  • Counties considered in state: 4

Idaho: Blaine County

shanecotee / Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 85.3 years (state: 79.2 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.9% (state: 11.0%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 44.5% (state: 30.2%)
  • Median household income: $81,794 (state: $70,214)
  • County seat: Hailey
  • Counties considered in state: 42

Illinois: DuPage County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.9 years (state: 78.6 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.3% (state: 11.8%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 51.1% (state: 36.7%)
  • Median household income: $107,035 (state: $78,433)
  • County seat: Wheaton
  • Counties considered in state: 102

Indiana: Hamilton County

Purdue9394 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.6 years (state: 76.5 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.2% (state: 12.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 60.8% (state: 28.2%)
  • Median household income: $114,866 (state: $67,173)
  • County seat: Noblesville
  • Counties considered in state: 92

Iowa: Dallas County

iip-photo-archive / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.8 years (state: 78.7 years)
  • Poverty rate: 5.7% (state: 11.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 51.5% (state: 30.3%)
  • Median household income: $99,533 (state: $70,571)
  • County seat: Adel
  • Counties considered in state: 99

Kansas: Johnson County

Ayodeji Afolabi / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.4 years (state: 77.8 years)
  • Poverty rate: 5.3% (state: 11.6%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 56.7% (state: 34.7%)
  • Median household income: $103,644 (state: $69,747)
  • County seat: Olathe
  • Counties considered in state: 102

Kentucky: Oldham County

  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.8 years (state: 75.1 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.0% (state: 16.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 45.4% (state: 26.5%)
  • Median household income: $117,334 (state: $60,183)
  • County seat: La Grange
  • Counties considered in state: 120

Louisiana: St. Tammany Parish

Judy Darby / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 77.8 years (state: 75.2 years)
  • Poverty rate: 11.7% (state: 18.7%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 36.4% (state: 26.1%)
  • Median household income: $76,914 (state: $57,852)
  • Parish seat: Covington
  • Parishes considered in state: 64

Maine: Cumberland County

sara_winter / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.2 years (state: 78.6 years)
  • Poverty rate: 7.2% (state: 10.9%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 50.6% (state: 34.1%)
  • Median household income: $87,710 (state: $68,251)
  • County seat: Portland
  • Counties considered in state: 16

Maryland: Howard County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.7 years (state: 78.6 years)
  • Poverty rate: 5.4% (state: 9.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 64.0% (state: 42.2%)
  • Median household income: $140,971 (state: $98,461)
  • County seat: Ellicott City
  • Counties considered in state: 24

Massachusetts: Nantucket County

OlegAlbinsky / E+ via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 83.0 years (state: 80.2 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.9% (state: 9.9%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 57.4% (state: 45.9%)
  • Median household income: $135,590 (state: $96,505)
  • County seat: Nantucket
  • Counties considered in state: 14

Michigan: Leelanau County

RiverNorthPhotography / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.3 years (state: 77.5 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.7% (state: 13.1%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 48.6% (state: 31.1%)
  • Median household income: $82,345 (state: $68,505)
  • County seat: Suttons Bay Township
  • Counties considered in state: 83

Minnesota: Carver County

Joseph Scheller / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 83.2 years (state: 80.4 years)
  • Poverty rate: 3.8% (state: 9.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 49.8% (state: 38.2%)
  • Median household income: $116,308 (state: $84,313)
  • County seat: Chaska
  • Counties considered in state: 87

Mississippi: Madison County

capcase / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 76.1 years (state: 73.9 years)
  • Poverty rate: 9.8% (state: 19.2%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 49.5% (state: 23.9%)
  • Median household income: $79,105 (state: $52,985)
  • County seat: Canton
  • Counties considered in state: 81

Missouri: St. Charles County

Kbh3rd / Wikimedia Commons
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.6 years (state: 76.6 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.5% (state: 12.8%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 42.0% (state: 31.2%)
  • Median household income: $99,596 (state: $65,920)
  • County seat: St. Charles
  • Counties considered in state: 115

Montana: Gallatin County

jsjgeology / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.7 years (state: 78.4 years)
  • Poverty rate: 10.6% (state: 12.4%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 52.9% (state: 34.0%)
  • Median household income: $83,434 (state: $66,341)
  • County seat: Bozeman
  • Counties considered in state: 48

Nebraska: Sarpy County

  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.7 years (state: 79.0 years)
  • Poverty rate: 5.5% (state: 10.4%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 41.2% (state: 33.5%)
  • Median household income: $95,911 (state: $71,722)
  • County seat: Papillion
  • Counties considered in state: 79

Nevada: Storey County

walencienne / Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.9 years (state: 78.1 years)
  • Poverty rate: 9.1% (state: 12.7%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.4% (state: 26.5%)
  • Median household income: $86,932 (state: $71,646)
  • County seat: Virginia City
  • Counties considered in state: 16

New Hampshire: Rockingham County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.8 years (state: 79.6 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.8% (state: 7.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 43.6% (state: 39.0%)
  • Median household income: $110,225 (state: $90,845)
  • County seat: Brentwood
  • Counties considered in state: 10

New Jersey: Hunterdon County

KenWiedemann / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 83.2 years (state: 79.5 years)
  • Poverty rate: 3.7% (state: 9.7%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 55.5% (state: 42.3%)
  • Median household income: $133,534 (state: $97,126)
  • County seat: Flemington
  • Counties considered in state: 21

New Mexico: Los Alamos County

benedek / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 83.9 years (state: 76.9 years)
  • Poverty rate: 3.7% (state: 18.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 69.7% (state: 29.1%)
  • Median household income: $135,801 (state: $58,722)
  • County seat: Los Alamos
  • Counties considered in state: 32

New York: New York County

cmart7327 / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 83.7 years (state: 80.3 years)
  • Poverty rate: 15.8% (state: 13.6%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 62.8% (state: 38.8%)
  • Median household income: $99,880 (state: $81,386)
  • County seat: Manhattan
  • Counties considered in state: 62

North Carolina: Orange County

Mx. Granger / Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.1 years (state: 77.7 years)
  • Poverty rate: 12.3% (state: 13.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 61.7% (state: 33.9%)
  • Median household income: $85,785 (state: $66,186)
  • County seat: Hillsborough
  • Counties considered in state: 100

North Dakota: Cass County

kenlund / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.9 years (state: 78.8 years)
  • Poverty rate: 10.8% (state: 10.8%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 42.6% (state: 31.4%)
  • Median household income: $73,249 (state: $73,959)
  • County seat: Fargo
  • Counties considered in state: 50

Ohio: Delaware County

Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.7 years (state: 76.5 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.5% (state: 13.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 57.4% (state: 30.4%)
  • Median household income: $123,995 (state: $66,990)
  • County seat: Delaware
  • Counties considered in state: 88

Oklahoma: Cimarron County

GracedByTheLight / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.8 years (state: 75.5 years)
  • Poverty rate: 10.9% (state: 15.2%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 31.7% (state: 27.3%)
  • Median household income: $57,100 (state: $61,364)
  • County seat: Boise City
  • Counties considered in state: 77

Oregon: Washington County

GarysFRP / iStock Unreleased via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.7 years (state: 79.7 years)
  • Poverty rate: 8.2% (state: 11.9%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 45.8% (state: 35.5%)
  • Median household income: $100,121 (state: $76,632)
  • County seat: Hillsboro
  • Counties considered in state: 35

Pennsylvania: Chester County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.2 years (state: 78.0 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.0% (state: 11.8%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 56.1% (state: 33.8%)
  • Median household income: $118,574 (state: $73,170)
  • County seat: West Chester
  • Counties considered in state: 67

Rhode Island: Newport County

DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.0 years (state: 79.4 years)
  • Poverty rate: 7.8% (state: 11.2%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 52.1% (state: 36.3%)
  • Median household income: $96,319 (state: $81,370)
  • County seat: Newport
  • Counties considered in state: 5

South Carolina: Beaufort County

VisionsbyAtlee / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.6 years (state: 76.4 years)
  • Poverty rate: 10.4% (state: 14.4%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 43.4% (state: 30.6%)
  • Median household income: $81,260 (state: $63,623)
  • County seat: Beaufort
  • Counties considered in state: 46

South Dakota: Stanley County

denverjeffrey / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 91.9 years (state: 78.2 years)
  • Poverty rate: 3.2% (state: 12.3%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 26.9% (state: 30.4%)
  • Median household income: $82,298 (state: $69,457)
  • County seat: Fort Pierre
  • Counties considered in state: 61

Tennessee: Williamson County

DenisTangneyJr / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.5 years (state: 75.3 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.2% (state: 14.0%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 62.0% (state: 29.7%)
  • Median household income: $125,943 (state: $64,035)
  • County seat: Franklin
  • Counties considered in state: 95

Texas: Collin County

Gary Fink / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 82.2 years (state: 78.4 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.3% (state: 13.9%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 54.3% (state: 32.3%)
  • Median household income: $113,255 (state: $73,035)
  • County seat: McKinney
  • Counties considered in state: 237

Utah: Summit County

Sean Pavone / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 85.6 years (state: 79.7 years)
  • Poverty rate: 5.2% (state: 8.5%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 57.4% (state: 36.1%)
  • Median household income: $126,392 (state: $86,833)
  • County seat: Coalville
  • Counties considered in state: 27

Vermont: Chittenden County

DenisTangneyJr / E+ via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.7 years (state: 79.7 years)
  • Poverty rate: 11.2% (state: 10.4%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 55.7% (state: 41.7%)
  • Median household income: $89,494 (state: $74,014)
  • County seat: Burlington
  • Counties considered in state: 14

Virginia: Falls Church (independent city)

krblokhin / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 80.6 years (state: 79.1 years)
  • Poverty rate: 2.3% (state: 10.0%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 78.9% (state: 41.0%)
  • Median household income: $164,536 (state: $87,249)
  • County seat: None
  • County equivalents considered in state: 133

Washington: San Juan County

kschulze / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 86.3 years (state: 80.2 years)
  • Poverty rate: 11.0% (state: 9.9%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 52.6% (state: 38.0%)
  • Median household income: $76,745 (state: $90,325)
  • County seat: Friday Harbor
  • Counties considered in state: 39

West Virginia: Monongalia County

andrewbain / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 79.3 years (state: 74.3 years)
  • Poverty rate: 20.6% (state: 16.8%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 48.3% (state: 22.7%)
  • Median household income: $60,893 (state: $55,217)
  • County seat: Morgantown
  • Counties considered in state: 55

Wisconsin: Ozaukee County

nathanhalephotography / Flickr
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 81.9 years (state: 78.9 years)
  • Poverty rate: 4.5% (state: 10.7%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 49.8% (state: 32.0%)
  • Median household income: $92,258 (state: $72,458)
  • County seat: Port Washington
  • Counties considered in state: 72

Wyoming: Teton County

JeffGoulden / iStock via Getty Images
  • Avg. life expectancy at birth: 86.7 years (state: 78.1 years)
  • Poverty rate: 6.9% (state: 10.7%)
  • Adults with a bachelor’s degree: 60.3% (state: 29.0%)
  • Median household income: $108,279 (state: $72,495)
  • County seat: Jackson
  • Counties considered in state: 23

The #1 Thing to Do Before You Claim Social Security (Sponsor)

Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.

A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.

Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.

 

Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!

By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.

By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.