Some state capitals rank amongst the richest metro areas in the U.S., but not all of them offer the best quality of life. To take a closer look at this issue, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best State Capitals to Live in
To identify the most livable seats of state government, WalletHub compared all 50 state capitals across 54 key metrics, ranging from the cost of living, to K–12 school-system quality, to the total number of attractions.
North Carolina’s capital of Raleigh ranked 3rd in the nation, just behind Boise, Idaho and Austin, Texas:
| Overall Rank (1=Best) |
City | State Capital Index | ‘Affordability’ Rank | ‘Economic Well-Being’ Rank | ‘Quality of Education & Health’ Rank | ‘Quality of Life’ Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin, TX | 67.23 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | Boise, ID | 64.78 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| 3 | Raleigh, NC | 64.52 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 19 |
| 4 | Madison, WI | 63.57 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | Lincoln, NE | 62.67 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| 6 | Bismarck, ND | 60.59 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 32 |
| 7 | Concord, NH | 59.28 | 7 | 12 | 24 | 25 |
| 8 | Denver, CO | 59.15 | 42 | 4 | 18 | 3 |
| 9 | Cheyenne, WY | 58.30 | 1 | 3 | 39 | 38 |
| 10 | Des Moines, IA | 58.22 | 8 | 18 | 16 | 30 |
| 11 | Salt Lake City, UT | 57.48 | 25 | 20 | 15 | 10 |
| 12 | Columbus, OH | 57.03 | 11 | 23 | 29 | 11 |
| 13 | Oklahoma City, OK | 56.26 | 3 | 19 | 37 | 24 |
| 14 | Helena, MT | 56.01 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 40 |
| 15 | Phoenix, AZ | 56.01 | 21 | 17 | 25 | 18 |
| 16 | Montpelier, VT | 55.68 | 28 | 25 | 1 | 31 |
| 17 | Juneau and, AK | 55.40 | 18 | 7 | 12 | 42 |
| 18 | Nashville, TN | 55.15 | 26 | 5 | 31 | 17 |
| 19 | Olympia, WA | 54.84 | 30 | 24 | 7 | 23 |
| 20 | Pierre, SD | 54.81 | 10 | 34 | 14 | 37 |
| 21 | Annapolis, MD | 54.69 | 24 | 32 | 13 | 16 |
| 22 | Atlanta, GA | 54.52 | 33 | 29 | 22 | 9 |
| 23 | St. Paul, MN | 54.31 | 34 | 22 | 11 | 20 |
| 24 | Santa Fe, NM | 53.50 | 37 | 15 | 28 | 12 |
| 25 | Salem, OR | 53.07 | 35 | 13 | 23 | 27 |
| 26 | Sacramento, CA | 52.95 | 46 | 21 | 20 | 7 |
| 27 | Jefferson City, MO | 52.36 | 6 | 28 | 38 | 35 |
| 28 | Honolulu, HI | 52.31 | 50 | 9 | 6 | 1 |
| 29 | Boston, MA | 52.12 | 49 | 16 | 8 | 2 |
| 30 | Springfield, IL | 51.78 | 5 | 36 | 30 | 43 |
| 31 | Tallahassee, FL | 49.60 | 40 | 33 | 21 | 26 |
| 32 | Lansing, MI | 49.57 | 17 | 31 | 33 | 36 |
| 33 | Topeka, KS | 49.46 | 13 | 30 | 36 | 45 |
| 34 | Albany, NY | 49.02 | 45 | 43 | 17 | 14 |
| 35 | Augusta, ME | 48.28 | 39 | 26 | 27 | 41 |
| 36 | Columbia, SC | 46.87 | 36 | 45 | 34 | 22 |
| 37 | Frankfort, KY | 46.70 | 14 | 37 | 45 | 44 |
| 38 | Indianapolis, IN | 46.19 | 27 | 39 | 41 | 29 |
| 39 | Richmond, VA | 45.72 | 43 | 40 | 47 | 6 |
| 40 | Harrisburg, PA | 45.31 | 29 | 49 | 40 | 21 |
| 41 | Dover, DE | 44.92 | 31 | 27 | 42 | 47 |
| 42 | Little Rock, AR | 42.66 | 22 | 35 | 43 | 49 |
| 43 | Montgomery, AL | 41.91 | 20 | 48 | 49 | 34 |
| 44 | Providence, RI | 41.70 | 47 | 44 | 32 | 13 |
| 45 | Carson City, NV | 41.04 | 38 | 38 | 46 | 48 |
| 46 | Charleston, WV | 40.56 | 23 | 42 | 48 | 50 |
| 47 | Hartford, CT | 40.38 | 48 | 46 | 26 | 28 |
| 48 | Trenton, NJ | 40.26 | 41 | 50 | 35 | 39 |
| 49 | Jackson, MS | 39.65 | 32 | 47 | 44 | 46 |
| 50 | Baton Rouge, LA | 39.42 | 44 | 41 | 50 | 33 |
Raleigh also ranks 3rd in the nation for having the “lowest premature death rate” and the “highest percentage of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher”.
Do you agree with the ranking?
What do you think the best state capitol in America is?