Texas tops list of worst places to live and work in America

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

Are you offended?

Quote

Texas has received the number one spot on a not-so-pleasant list: The top ten worst places in America to live and work in 2023.

While Texas landed at number six on CNBC's yearly America's Top States for Business study, the state scored significantly low in one category: Life, Health & Inclusion. Factors in this category include:

• crime rates
• environmental quality
• health care
• quality and availability of childcare
• inclusiveness in state laws such as reproductive rights, protections against discrimination and voting rights

Texas received 53 out of 350 points for its 2023 Life, Health & Inclusion score, giving it an F in its Top States grade and the lowest nationwide, securing its number one spot on the list.

More:Austin drops in 'best places to live' report — again. Here's why.

Texas' low ranking in its Life, Health & Inclusion score is attributed to a lack of inclusiveness, according to CNBC, considering factors such as laws targeting the LGBTQ+ population, voting rights, and the strict abortion ban implemented statewide. Another weakness identified in the study was worker protections.

Another reason behind the ranking is the state's current health care infrastructure, with the nation's highest percentage of people without health insurance and the second lowest number of primary care physicians per capita, according to CNBC. Texas also ranks thirteen in the nation for having high violent crime rates.

Top 10 worst states to live and work

The rest of the states that landed on the top ten worst states to live and work for 2023 were:

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Louisiana
4. South Carolina and Alabama (tie)
5. —
6. Missouri
7. Indiana
8. Tennessee
9. Arkansas
10. Florida

CNBC did mention the boom in economic opportunity across the state. In the overall Top States for Business study, Texas received sixth place, with North Carolina taking the number one spot.

According to CNBC, the best state in the country to live and work is Vermont, with Maine in second and New Jersey in third.

 

[Hpara759 1792]

Good, maybe they will stop moving here

[choripan 796]

Serious question, given the blast furnace thread: is the weather a net negative or positive now?

[DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt 12301]

1 minute ago, Hpara759 said:

Good, maybe they will stop moving here

those people?

[WBT 20966]

Lulz at that top 10.  Yep, no one moves to the sun belt anymore, it's too crowded.

[BrickHorn 18447]

5 minutes ago, WBT said:

Lulz at that top 10.  Yep, no one moves to the sun belt anymore, it's too crowded.

People follow jobs and, in many cases, the promise of lower taxes (which it turns out is an empty one in our fair state). Companies move here because of low corporate and no state income taxes (the latter which appeal to business decision makers, who typically sit at the extreme high end of the income spectrum). 

Texas is appealing to businesses, so employees end up here. But life for the working class hoi polloi would be better elsewhere. Other than job opportunities, Texas fucking sucks on a lot of quality of life metrics.

Edited July 18, 2023 by BrickHorn

[Js1 87174]

8 minutes ago, WBT said:

Lulz at that top 10.  Yep, no one moves to the sun belt anymore, it's too crowded.

Big “no one wants to move to California anymore” energy here

people move for a variety of reasons. As noted above, Texas is great for employers. It’s awful for the working class and minorities. But the working class has been suckered into believing Texas is full of freedom and low taxes. Ha 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Js1

[bschoolprof 6341]

These lists are so ret. . . um, silly.  Total click bait.  

[Hpara759 1792]

11 minutes ago, DefinitelyNotHollywoodColt said:

those people?

 

[BrickHorn 18447]

1 minute ago, bschoolprof said:

These lists are so ret. . . um, silly.  Total click bait.  

No, YOU’RE retumsilly.

[Chuckie Finster 23038]

Sooner or later, six straight months of being unable to go outside for more than 10 minutes will catch up with this state, regardless of any other metric they use.  This shit is brutal and has me just about ready to tap out.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Chuckie Finster

[Aqua Buddha 14803]

32 minutes ago, choripan said:

Serious question, given the blast furnace thread: is the weather a net negative or positive now?

When was it ever a positive?

[gmr548 16688]

First thing to consider: quality of life is ultimately subjective. For some quality of life is 3k+ square feet in suburbia. For some it’s a walkable urban environment. For some it’s access to natural areas and strong environmental protections. For some it’s not being cold. For some it’s not being hot. For some it’s cultural offerings. Etc etc.

My general opinion is that Texas has some pretty significant quality of life issues relative to its wealthy state peers and its former value proposition has eroded significantly in recent years; but comparing it to Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, etc. is asinine. There’s a set of states, primarily centered in the southeast and Appalachia, that are just much less wealthy and developed across the board; and they aren’t exactly making up for it with much better weather or less draconian social policy (New Mexico can be considered an exception here, but the economy/education/healthcare situation there is bleak).

I’m not saying we should all just be happy with the state of things because we’re not Louisiana. We’re a rough house in a good neighborhood; it’s got some things going for it but the house still needs some work. But, also, worst state to live in? Come on. Drive east or north for a day.

[Js1 87174]

2 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Drive east or north for a day.

States with casinos and weed. We are surrounded by them now. 

[Longhornsnus 200]

For every one of these OP about the worst, there is one for the best. Case in point:https://www.visualcapitalist.com/safest-cities-in-the-us/

 

[gmr548 16688]

For every one of these OP about the worst, there is one for the best. Case in point:https://www.visualcapitalist.com/safest-cities-in-the-us/
 

Lmao, wealthy suburbs have low crime rates. News at 11.

[F250 29195]

7 minutes ago, Js1 said:

States with casinos and weed. We are surrounded by them now. 

[Longhornsnus 200]

2 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Lmao, wealthy suburbs have low crime rates. News at 11.

No offense to those who reside there, but I'd hardly call Keller, Colleyville and Little Elm (especially) a wealthy suburb in the grand scheme of the DFW metroplex. Maybe it's their distance from anything culturally relevant that makes them secluded from crime, though? I'd wager a guess the multifamily homes aren't many, as well?

Edited July 18, 2023 by Longhornsnus

[Scheiss Meister 8466]

Texas is #1 at being #2. 

[Chuckie Finster 23038]

10 minutes ago, Longhornsnus said:

For every one of these OP about the worst, there is one for the best. Case in point:https://www.visualcapitalist.com/safest-cities-in-the-us/

 

There's like 17 people in Fulshear.  Cool, I guess.

Also, quite the red/blue state argument in this map that I'm pretty sure most in DT won't want to touch.

[ztejas 44223]

35 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

six straight months of being unable to go outside

Not unlike an unaborted fetus.

[Longhornsnus 200]

5 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

There's like 17 people in Fulshear.  Cool, I guess.

Also, quite the red/blue state argument in this map that I'm pretty sure most in DT won't want to touch.

Did you see this ^^

That said, I know nothing about Fulshear. I guess the perception it's a small town. But that 25k population minimum is probably why the majority of the great plains/midwest is missing from the map.

[Longhornsnus 200]

7 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

There's like 17 people in Fulshear.  Cool, I guess.

Also, quite the red/blue state argument in this map that I'm pretty sure most in DT won't want to touch.

Also, what is in the water in Mass.? That's the bubble to be in, if you have money and want safety I guess?

[Fondren & Main 6893]

I’d like to abolish the police so we can mete out vigilante justice on car thieves.

[RDCanecutter 26871]

Any list talking about entire states is contardebulated. eg When I moved to Austin in the 90s (when it was still cool,) I didn't give a fuck what was happening 50 miles away, much less in the Pine Curtain or DFW or the Border or out past Midland. And if I'd been in one of those places, Austin wouldn't affect me much at all.

The same goes for smaller states. I didn't see Georgia on that list, so I guess it's considered "good." Me I'd like actual Atlanta, but the massive burbs are Karen-infested traffic jams driving past identical scenery like in a Flintstones cartoon. The southern half of the state is cool if you like long drives in the country, which I do, but they ain't much else. 

Anyway, wherever you live, you stake out a small kingdom of home, work, and recreation and you ignore the rest. For most metros you ought to be able to find some civilization.

[closetohumping 17803]

Meh.  Not gonna comment on politics.  But name a metro that is as diverse as Houston in this country where you can buy a fat house for 400k? Texas is a pro business state so it will continue to grow.  

 

 

Personally, weather, scenery and people are important to me so I choose to live in a shack in OC

[Newdoc 3511]

You can make a “study” with whatever confirmation bias you want. We could make Texas #50 or #1 especially when you put non measurable soft science crap in the metrics. 
 

click bait

[Brisketexan 106874]

1 hour ago, BrickHorn said:

People follow jobs and, in many cases, the promise of lower taxes (which it turns out is an empty one in our fair state). Companies move here because of low corporate and no state income taxes (the latter which appeal to business decision makers, who typically sit at the extreme high end of the income spectrum). 

Texas is appealing to businesses, so employees end up here. But life for the working class hoi polloi would be better elsewhere. Other than job opportunities, Texas fucking sucks on a lot of quality of life metrics.

This.  And our choice of one at the expense of the other has caught up with us, and it's only getting worse.  FFS, Texas is pretty damn close to #1 on the list of states where "you could either freeze to death, or die of heat exhaustion."  And those are policy choices we've made (the ERCOT system didn't fail in 2021, it worked as designed, and Texas has now voided local ordinances requiring workers to get regular water breaks).  

Texas is awesome if you favor another 1.5% in profits at the expense of human lives....and shitty and getting shittier if you don't.

I live a fine life in Texas.  Of course, I have lots of money.  And even then, this state tried to kill me in February 2021.  And I sure as hell don't want to have my grandkids subjected to this downward slide, or to be educated in schools that we're actively trying to kill.  Our choices have consequences.  The rich get richer here.  Everyone else can get fucked and die.  Literally.

[royiv 9774]

44 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

First thing to consider: quality of life is ultimately subjective. For some quality of life is 3k+ square feet in suburbia. For some it’s a walkable urban environment. For some it’s access to natural areas and strong environmental protections. For some it’s not being cold. For some it’s not being hot. For some it’s cultural offerings. Etc etc.
 

For some it's not being persecuted by your state government. For some it's about having bodily autonomy. For some it's about having access to quality education. For some it's having access to quality healthcare. Those are all areas where Texas comes up short and continues to slide down the list.

There's still a lot of good things about this state, but I'm afraid we're ignoring the canary in the coal mine. On a lot of very important metrics, we are slipping fast and eventually that's going to have some very real negative implications to the machine that has been the Texas economy.

[Brisketexan 106874]

Just now, royiv said:

For some it's not being persecuted by your state government. For some it's about having bodily autonomy. For some it's about having access to quality education. For some it's having access to quality healthcare. Those are all areas where Texas comes up short and continues to slide down the list.

There's still a lot of good things about this state, but I'm afraid we're ignoring the canary in the coal mine. On a lot of very important metrics, we are slipping fast and eventually that's going to have some very real negative implications to the machine that has been the Texas economy.

Why don't you ask young people with high earning potential if they are willing to take a job in Texas.  The percentage who would say "yes" is falling off the cliff.  There are plenty of good paying jobs elsewhere for such people, and some/many of the factors you listed play heavily in their decisionmaking.

[closetohumping 17803]

20 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Any list talking about entire states is contardebulated. eg When I moved to Austin in the 90s (when it was still cool,) I didn't give a fuck what was happening 50 miles away, much less in the Pine Curtain or DFW or the Border or out past Midland. And if I'd been in one of those places, Austin wouldn't affect me much at all.

The same goes for smaller states. I didn't see Georgia on that list, so I guess it's considered "good." Me I'd like actual Atlanta, but the massive burbs are Karen-infested traffic jams driving past identical scenery like in a Flintstones cartoon. The southern half of the state is cool if you like long drives in the country, which I do, but they ain't much else. 

Anyway, wherever you live, you stake out a small kingdom of home, work, and recreation and you ignore the rest. For most metros you ought to be able to find some civilization.

Been reading about trans people wanting to leave Austin because......it's in Texas. 

[royiv 9774]

Just now, Brisketexan said:

Why don't you ask young people with high earning potential if they are willing to take a job in Texas.  The percentage who would say "yes" is falling off the cliff.  There are plenty of good paying jobs elsewhere for such people, and some/many of the factors you listed play heavily in their decisionmaking.

So true. My niece left Texas for college and she's never coming back. She is extremely bright, was born and raised in Austin and has zero intentions of ever moving back to this state. 

[4th&Five 41984]

My oldest is going to be a HS sophomore and there's zero chance she's staying in TX for college or ever coming back after.  I can't blame her.

[RDCanecutter 26871]

8 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

Been reading about trans people wanting to leave Austin because......it's in Texas. 

I can't speak to that, but I imagine if I'd been lazing at the Crown and Anchor and saw that the legislature was writing anti-RDCanecutter bills, I mighta moved on.

[atomheartbevo 90636]

1 hour ago, gmr548 said:

I’m not saying we should all just be happy with the state of things because we’re not Louisiana. 

Yet.

We are about to have the same porn laws as Louisiana come September 1st - Texans will either have to present a government-issued ID to look at online porn, or use a VPN when looking at online porn.  Our state literally looked at Louisiana's porn laws and said "yeah, we want that!"

[Brisketexan 106874]

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

Yet.

We are about to have the same porn laws as Louisiana come September 1st - Texans will either have to present a government-issued ID to look at online porn, or use a VPN when looking at online porn.  Our state literally looked at Louisiana's porn laws and said "yeah, we want that!"

And various things that Mississippi has done.  And Florida.  Seriously, as a state, we are LITERALLY saying "we want to be more like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida."  What sane fucking place fucking says that?  NONE.  No sane place says that.

[Longhornsnus 200]

19 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Why don't you ask young people with high earning potential if they are willing to take a job in Texas.  The percentage who would say "yes" is falling off the cliff.  There are plenty of good paying jobs elsewhere for such people, and some/many of the factors you listed play heavily in their decisionmaking.

I would read this survey and find it interesting, if you had a link.

[RDCanecutter 26871]

I believe Louisiana's law is against "pone," as in "pone-ography."

Hyaaaah hacha cacha mon hea chere.

[closetohumping 17803]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

And various things that Mississippi has done.  And Florida.  Seriously, as a state, we are LITERALLY saying "we want to be more like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida."  What sane fucking place fucking says that?  NONE.  No sane place says that.

As long as we ain't like commiefornia.  *spits out tobacky juice. 

[RDCanecutter 26871]

1 minute ago, closetohumping said:

As long as we ain't like commiefornia.  *spits out tobacky juice. 

That's "backy." WE GOT US A YANKEE HERE BOYS.

[crash_davis 23468]

SEC! SEC! SEC!

You are kidding yourself if you think Texas is different than those backwards dipshit states. Most are just as uneducated, fat, and redneck as our SEC brethren.

[Longhornsnus 200]

11 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Yet.

We are about to have the same porn laws as Louisiana come September 1st - Texans will either have to present a government-issued ID to look at online porn, or use a VPN when looking at online porn.  Our state literally looked at Louisiana's porn laws and said "yeah, we want that!"

Not to derail this, but I think our state looked at Louisiana and said "we want that" because free, unadulterated and lightning fast access to every form of pornography, from the basic vanilla to the most perverse, being available at the fingertip of every 5-17 year olds (or wherever the legal consent/age is) is not only passively unhealthy, but extremely and actively detrimental to the development of the brain (and emotional and mental health) of still-developing children. It's a problem, whether you want to acknowledge the studies or not. Especially our young men.

And since when, anyways, did we as a society come to expect and feel entitled to free pornography carte blanche? I mean, up until the mid 2000's you had to pay for it and ostensibly verify ID, or worse yet, go to a seedy sex store and buy a physical copy. But Russia and Eastern Europe starts pumping out free porn and we get used to it and now it's as sacrosanct as a constitutional right for some people, it seems.

If you make it harder to view online free porn and make it harder to buy guns, I think you can probably wipe out about 80% of the incel community overnight.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Longhornsnus

[Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13624]

7 minutes ago, closetohumping said:

As long as we ain't like commiefornia.  *spits out tobacky juice. 

*slight derail* I know the trope about Californians moving to Texas, but just anecdotally, I see Florida plates all over Texas now and wonder if it's related to the home insurance crisis going on in Meatballistan. 

[closetohumping 17803]

16 minutes ago, Longhornsnus said:

I would read this survey and find it interesting, if you had a link.

Meh.  I'd say it's split. 

[Guest]

Texas sucks so bad...

and people can't fucking stay away.  They are literally dying to get here.

Fuck the haters.  and fuck the people who willfully ignore the challenges Texas faces and overcomes.

[closetohumping 17803]

Just now, slorch said:

Texas sucks so bad...

and people can't fucking stay away.  They are literally dying to get here.

Fuck the haters.  and fuck the people who willfully ignore the challenges Texas faces and overcomes.

[locodos 5590]

19 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

And various things that Mississippi has done.  And Florida.  Seriously, as a state, we are LITERALLY saying "we want to be more like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida."  What sane fucking place fucking says that?  NONE.  No sane place says that.

Oh you're getting a militia alright,  by god! you're getting a militia.

California Florida Über Alles

[Beau Vine 55859]

54 minutes ago, royiv said:

For some it's not being persecuted by your state government. For some it's about having bodily autonomy. For some it's about having access to quality education. For some it's having access to quality healthcare. Those are all areas where Texas comes up short and continues to slide down the list.

There's still a lot of good things about this state, but I'm afraid we're ignoring the canary in the coal mine. On a lot of very important metrics, we are slipping fast and eventually that's going to have some very real negative implications to the machine that has been the Texas economy.

The main driver of pretty much every quality of life variable (other than weather/scenery) is education, and our state is doing its best to destroy that.

Edited July 18, 2023 by Beau Vine

[gmr548 16688]

No offense to those who reside there, but I'd hardly call Keller, Colleyville and Little Elm (especially) a wealthy suburb in the grand scheme of the DFW metroplex. Maybe it's their distance from anything culturally relevant that makes them secluded from crime, though? I'd wager a guess the multifamily homes aren't many, as well?

I mean, my point was that the entire list was suburbs. Those in Texas aren’t Southlake or Sugar Land but they’ve also got median incomes mostly above the metro averages.

Beyond that, Texas had five little towns on the list, compared to dozens in New England. It does not read ti me that TX is #1 as you implied (not that I put a ton of weight on it in general)

For some it's not being persecuted by your state government. For some it's about having bodily autonomy. For some it's about having access to quality education. For some it's having access to quality healthcare. Those are all areas where Texas comes up short and continues to slide down the list.
There's still a lot of good things about this state, but I'm afraid we're ignoring the canary in the coal mine. On a lot of very important metrics, we are slipping fast and eventually that's going to have some very real negative implications to the machine that has been the Texas economy.

I largely agree. I do think it will take a while to materialize in terms if economic impact. Texas isn’t going to stop having very friendly policies for large corporations and as long as they can import workers to TX they are going to do so. Until that changes, the growth feedback loop remains in tact.

Yet.
We are about to have the same porn laws as Louisiana come September 1st - Texans will either have to present a government-issued ID to look at online porn, or use a VPN when looking at online porn.  Our state literally looked at Louisiana's porn laws and said "yeah, we want that!"

Where the state really seems determined to copy Louisiana is education. The continuous push for vouchers is an effort to achieve de facto segregation with private religious schools almost exclusively for whites kids and grossly underfunded public schools for kids of color - AKA what Louisiana has today.

[Smax 3800]

Meh.  Not gonna comment on politics.  But name a metro that is as diverse as Houston in this country where you can buy a fat house for 400k? Texas is a pro business state so it will continue to grow.  
 
 
Personally, weather, scenery and people are important to me so I choose to live in a shack in OC

That is in the stix or the hood...The cost of living is really all that Texas has to offer and that disappearing quickly. Yes, it's cheaper then say NYC, SF or LA but it's climbing. I just rented an apartment in Houston for my daughter, and it's 2100 a month. Crazy and as mentioned, the heat is just too much. It was 85 the other night at 10 with a heat index of 105.

No thanks, so glad I moved