Companies are calling workers back to the office and cutting remote work. Skilled workers remain in short supply, so businesses need to set up shop in places people actually want to live. For its 2026 Top States for Business analysis, CNBC increased the influence of the Quality of Life category to 11.6% of the total score, compared to roughly 10% the prior year.
Tom Stringer, a veteran site-selection consultant with Stringer Site Selection in New York, said: "Where are people moving? Where have they gone post-Covid? … It's largely going to be an attractive place to live. You're seeing corporate industry chasing people now rather than people chasing jobs."
Nebraska scored 184 out of 290 points in Quality of Life (Top States grade: B). The state's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program, established in 2017, mandates that all prescriptions be reported, not only those for controlled substances. Former State Senator Sara Howard, who authored the legislation, stated, "My goal is to make Nebraska one of the leading states in the nation in the fight against opioid addiction and abuse." Nebraska also has exceptionally clean air. Weaknesses: reproductive rights and inclusiveness.
Massachusetts also scored 184 points (grade B). The state also has the lowest uninsured rate nationwide, a legacy of the healthcare overhaul led by then-Governor Mitt Romney two decades ago.
As of last year, 53.4% of surveyed Bay State residents rated their health as good or excellent, placing Massachusetts second only to Vermont, according to the United Health Foundation. Massachusetts mandates paid sick leave and protects the right to organize. Weaknesses: air quality and childcare.
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North Dakota scored 186 points (grade B+). A national childcare advocacy group reports that North Dakota runs 478 licensed childcare facilities for its less than 800,000 residents. However, late last year budget constraints led the state to cut certain subsidies and end the program that offered matching funds for employer-backed childcare, the Working Parents Child Care Relief initiative.
Final matching payments go out in August 2026. Weaknesses: worker protections and reproductive rights.
Virginia scored 189 points (grade B+). According to FBI data, Virginia's violent crime rate of 218 per 100,000 residents in 2024 was among the lowest in the country. Attorney General Jason Miyares and Governor Glenn Youngkin launched Ceasefire Virginia in 2022, which imposes stricter penalties on convicted felons who possess or use firearms, focusing on 13 municipalities.
The Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Public Policy attributed a 10% decline in homicides statewide through 2024 to the program, with a 24% drop specifically in Ceasefire areas. Weakness: childcare.
New Hampshire scored 189 points (grade B+). In 2024, New Hampshire recorded a mere 110 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, making it nearly crime-free. Since 2014, the violent crime rate has fallen by 44%.
The state has inclusive statutes, though it does not offer in-person early voting - one of only three states along with Mississippi and Alabama. Weaknesses: health and worker protections.
For many years, Hawaii ranked among the top states in this analysis, thanks to low crime, a clean environment, and progressive laws. Then, in 2022, CNBC incorporated the cost and accessibility of childcare into its rankings.
While each top state excels in certain areas, they also face notable weaknesses - such as reproductive rights in Nebraska and worker protections in North Dakota - underscoring the trade-offs that shape a state's overall livability. These factors help explain why corporate migration now follows people, and why quality of life metrics have gained greater weight in ranking America's best places to live.
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