Which state in the US is the worst to live in? Why?

I'm surprised nobody has said Idaho, given that it's been known for its white supremacists lately.

By the numbers, probably Mississippi. Lowest life expectancy, highest infant mortality rate, second highest poverty rate...being ranked 39th in education actually seems to be a bright spot for them.

Absolutely Mississippi. My wife has family in Meridian, MS and I shudder thinking about being stuck there my whole life.

Ohio was pretty bad, so much so I moved back to Texas...

Bowling for Soup: Ohio (Come Back to Texas) https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wBWNgg8CClc
Oh no, I am sorry for you. Which city?

IMO - Texas, while places like Mississippi, Arkansas, and Oklahoma always rank below, I believe Texas is actively trying to kill itself. Those other states are poorer and more rural. Texas has the resources and money to be one of the most prosperous states. Yet, they keep voting for Greg Abbott (aka piss baby), Ken Paxton, and Ted Cruz. People there are so brainwashed that they believe anyone who is not an uber republican will come and make all the frog gay, let kids poop in liter-boxes, and give all their money to drug addicts. It's just sad. I finally just gave up on trying to make any difference there and left for the sake of my kids.

A perfect example is my mother-in-law who HATES Greg Abbott. She blames him for leaving the state for dead during snowmageddon. So she just refuses to vote in Governor elections.

My friend who claims they're a communist has been to Texas twice and loves it. Beats me why.
- The poverty makes them feel like they're in a communist society
I'm not from the states so not really qualified to comment but I would have thought low taxes and large population (including diverse cities like Housten and true blue areas like Austin) would work in its favour.
Other places in the South seem to have all the downsides you mention but none of the positives.
- Yes, Texas is actually purple, but it is gerrymander so bad there is no way to win. A perfect example is the district I used to live in, Texas 26. Is was basically Denton County with a little tail going into the Tarrant County to keep it red. Then Democrats got close in a couple of elections. So they redrew the map to cut out the city of Denton, which is a city with a huge liberal arts college. Then they extended it north and west into more republican areas.
  Meanwhile the city of Denton was added to the 13th district, which is 40,000 square miles and extends all the way to the panhandle. People in the city would have to drive 325 miles just to visit their representatives office.
  Texas 26 Before 2021
  After 2021

Florida. Heat, humidity, stench of water from the sprinkler systems, lousy coffee from the crappy drinking water, most jobs literally don't allow you to work OT. Many only hire 32 hour people. Terrible drivers, especially all the Qtip bitches that should've stopped driving 20 years ago. Redneck Nation. Massive POS politics.

Fuck Florida.

Been saying it for years. We should've left it to the spainards, the spainards shoulda left it to the natives and the natives shoulda left it to the god damn trees.
Florida used to be black on Erin's trans safety map. It was literally its own "DO NOT GO HERE" category. Unfortunately the only thing that has changed is that it's no longer alone.
- It's so funny (not in a good way) to see this change - I grew up going to drag shows, there is still so much gay culture here, and it's such a a diverse place, no matter what axis you spin it on. We know trans people (one of my kids among them, but older people too) and there isn't much discrimination "on the ground" here, my trans kid got a job the same place my other kids did, and only HR keeps the paperwork with physical sex as gender, in practice they are treated as they choose. And that's at a nominally religious place. In school too, the teachers and kids did not care, just took it in stride. The outright hostility in Tallahassee is insane, but it doesn't translate to hostility in the city here. Or not yet at least.
  Make Florida Freaky Again. That will be my platform if ever I run for governor.
  The stinky water is because they let you use reclaimed water for watering a lawn, it's hella efficient and good for the plants. Gardens don't need drinking water. It does smell bad but is a good thing.
Not even gonna mention that the coastal areas've been dredging sand at night to keep it from sliding back into the ocean for decades... 🤮
Let. It. Die. Already.
What's not to love? The new Alligator Auschwitz is a glorious new addition, brought to all by our glorious Great Pumpkin (Putkin?)
/$

Oklafuckinghoma. Heat, tornadoes, ice storms, earthquakes, hail and some of the dumbest, most entitled Jesus-humping maga fucks in the country.

And gonna be in the 100s next week here in Tulsa.
- Born and raised! Tulsa is the exception to Oklahoma. Still the most beautiful city I've ever lived in, and nicer ever time I go back. But OP has a solid point about the weather. OK gets the worst of all the things.

the state of denial that half the county is in that believes orange shitler will help them.

Probably Mississippi, Oklahoma, or West Virginia

And with all the MAGA turds that moved to Florida and it’s terrible government it’s gotta be close to those top 3

No Alabama???

The current state?

There is no universal, objective answer. It depends who you are, your financial situation, your political views, etc.

That said, the states that suck the most for the most people are conservative places with lots of rural poverty. Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma, ...

Arkansas, don't forget Arkansas. And Louisiana.
- Oh, how could I miss Louisiana? It's the place with the highest incarceration rate in the world.
  https://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/2021.html
I'll defend Alabama. I travel through several times a year on the back highways and there's only one truly shit town we pass. York is a wasteland. Here's the main drag, and most of those units are empty.
All the other rural towns seem pretty nice. Businesses aren't shuttered, roads are nice everywhere, people take pride. Contrast that with Mississippi. You could teleport me to a gas station and I could tell if it's in MS or AL according to how much trash is blowing around.
- All the other rural towns seem pretty nice.
  Ah so you're white

Misery. Wait, hang on, sorry, I spelled that wrong. Missouri.

Misery.
Wait, hang on, sorry, I spelled that wrong. Missouri.
- BTW, in the book, she hacked off a foot with an axe and cauterized it with a blowtorch. 🤢
You get it. Oklahoma Florida Missouri Mississippi all horrible places

Nobody saying Florida? Swamps, gators, slowly sinking into the ocean, home to way too many grumpy old people and crazy drug addicts (see Florida man) and Trumps shitty golf club. Also some of the absolute biggest peices of shit for politicians- DeSantis, Rick Scott, Gaetz ect

Don't forget Alligator Auschwitz! I hear they're selling merch.
Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi are all shit holes honestly same goes for Houston TX as well. I'm not saying my state of Oklahoma is any better. I lived in California for 4 years and kill to go back however it's just too expensive
- Please make sure Missouri is added to your damn near perfect list
- I hear ya. PacNW is my home (not childhood) and my heart tears up just thinking of what it would take to get back. 🥹😭
I grew up in Florida. The neighbors are worse. You just dont hear about them as much.

Wyoming. Corrupt, cold, ugly if you're not rich, and full of morons who do things like thank coal workers for their service.

thank coal workers for their service.
cOaL kEePs tHe LiGhTs oN
Who deserves the thank you more- coal workers or police officers?
- Most people's politics (left-oriented as well - your "scientific rigor" is actually rather sparse and inadequately supported [just look at how often we actually fund follow-up studies]) are virtue signaling. People tend to work backward from what the in-group already assumes. No big deal - it's just collective problem solving staged in a cannibalistic system. So, to answer your question, seemingly equal measure, though the weights change with social context.

Any state with a GOP supermajority.

Hey now, Kansas isn't so bad if you are white.
Oh wait.

Mississippi and Alabama tend to compete for the worse state top spot

Mississippi is the anus of the USA.
At least those have the ocean and Huntsville. Like poccalyps said, Oklahoma by far.

Almost certainly Mississippi

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thank_God_for_Mississippi
I mean honestly if the words worst and state are in the question the answer is almost always Mississippi.
Idk I think Florida is going to give them a run for their money soon. Insurance can deny claims and coverage more easily now and FEMA's been crippled.
- I live in Florida and travel Mississippi several times a year. Night and day. And I'm in the panhandle where we're poor, still head and shoulders above MS.
  Was telling my wife that Pensacola airport is two or three times the size of Jackson's, at their capitol. FFS, they can't even manage clean water, in their capitol.
  Alabama is actually pretty and pretty nice. You could teleport me to about any road in either state and I could call it for MS or AL. You can tell when you cross into MS because your tires start rumbling. Was wondering on the last trip how much those people pay for tires. Bet it's big business!
  Last weekend's trip was fucking weird. Maybe I simply hadn't noticed before, but the people were no longer friendly. Probably because I have long hair and my wife is Asian. At least black folks are still nice enough! Which flipped since I moved to the South 20 years ago. They looked at white people with deep suspicion.
Mississippi is the worst state I've been to. I can't imagine living there.
Mississippi doesn't have enough character to be the worst. It seems to be bad in every way, but it doesn't have the flair for actively destructive stupidity that make Florida and Texas what they are.
Really enjoyed learning about NY queer culture by watching Paris is Burning so thought I'd check out Mississippi Burning to see how marginalised communities express themselves in the South... oh
- “Paris Is Burning” is such a fantastic film.
- That was set in the 60s. Mississippi isn't nearly that bad. It's bad, but it ain't Mississippi Burning bad.
It's not up for debate. It's Mississippi.
We drive through several times a year, starting in Florida to Alabama. The poverty and ignorance is fucking heart breaking. Always glad to get back into the Alabama part of the trip.

South Dakota

Lived in Watertown when I was a kid. My first Halloween there we had to trick or treat in 1 foot of snow. Other than the cold it wasn't so bad, insanely beautiful landscapes however I did notice a lot of mild racism to Indians.

I used to work at a call center for a nation wide company.

The answer is absolutely Kentucky. There is really no comparison.

You can't just fire off an entirely subjective opinion and not back it up with anecdotes.
- It's been 12hrs. I'm thinking they intend to. 😅 FWIW, I agree with you.
details or gtfo

Anytime related to the "South". West Coast is chill. East Coast is chill.

Too far down the east coast gets gross. What's your cutoff?
Personally, I'd say North Carolina.
- "The East Coast" generally means the north east. "The South" is all the states in the south eastern corner of the country, including the coastal states down there. (Where the borderline is between them depends entirely on who you ask)
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States
The east coast is definitely not "chill"

All of them!

I think all states probably have ok cities in them somewhere, and that it depends on your preferences but I would never live in Alaska.

And all states have downsides too. Mississippi and Oklahoma have the worst schools. Florida and Texas have crazy politicians. Wyoming doesn't want you there. Colorado has angry ranchers and pretentious yuppies. California has Bakersfield.

Alaska. Remote, expensive, so cold your car's tires freeze with the flat spot they had while you were parked so you thump thump thump down the graveled roads until they stretch out, and to paraphrase @poccalyps, 'ice storms, earthquakes,... and some of the dumbest, most entitled Jesus-humping maga fucks in the country.'
- and some of the dumbest, most entitled Jesus-humping maga fucks in the country.'
  HAHAHA!!!
Urban areas are typically more "blue" as they're populated by people who can read, more or less.
You're really stretching there with your last few examples.
Wyoming your biggest issue will just be a lack of any real culture or metropolitan amenities, plus the winters. But it is beautiful and the people are as friendly as anywhere else.
Colorado's problem tends to be hcol even outside the cities, and traffic to get to the mountains. But our government is shockingly functional, and our problems derive from tons of people moving here because it is a great place to live.
Cali's problem is definitely high prices and traffic. And kinda shocked you pegged CO as the place to find pretentious yuppies.
But honestly, I could be happy living in any of these places. Mississipi... would take some work.
Bakersfield? I think you forgot Redding.
What's wrong with Alaska?
- Polar bears, for one. Their politicians for two.

New Mexico

Insane crime, just as expensive as California or Colorado.

Seriously ~~don't come here~~, i mean go there.

I've actually gone to new mexico and like it. Granted, mostly going to the national parks
- Shhhh
- The federal land parts without any locals, you mean?

Any of them that make up the southern border. They are almost unilaterally shitholes that would cut off their arm if it meant the "right" people suffer.

Leave New Mexico off that list. While not perfect, they sure have been knocking it out of the park recently. It's stunningly beautiful too
- Arizona is also beautiful. Unfortunately, it also has Pheonix.
- Before or after the Breaking Bad era? (/s)

Depression

Well I can say from experience that after 2 decades of it you just feel "normal" because depressed has become your normal!
- My smart watch likes to remind me frequently that I had a "stressful" day and to try to do better tomorrow. I'm like "bitch this is my baseline. Lower your expectations."

poverty

State of Emergency. Because its either Zeus/Poseidon being mad at us (aka: Hurricanes), or it's martial law... and that means they're rolling in the tanks, it would be 100x worse than even the darkest day of the current US admin so far.

right now, to the rest of the world it would seem that it’s the contiguous united ones…

AK is rolled into that, NGL. Leave Hawaii alone, though. 🤘🏼

Texas, with runner ups California and Florida

California? You need to tell me your dealer, because I'd like to have an ounce of what you're smoking. At least we give our citizens healthcare.
- how do you afford to live there?
- Just, not homes. Baby steps?