Is New York One of the Best States In the Country? See the Latest Results

Many over the years have referred to New York as one of the greatest places to live, though others may raise disagreement. New York has long been recognized for its diverse culture and arts, food, attractions, diverse natural beauty, as well as being one of the worlds top tourist destinations.

However, a number of outsiders still associate the majority of the state with just New York City and Long Island. New York is the 27th largest state in the country by land area, covering 54,556 square miles. Some of the most remote parts of the state almost look like another country compared to Manhattan.

See Also: New York State's Wealthiest Areas Outside New York City, Long Island & Westchester

Many studies though still show that New York remains one of the country's highest states for outbound moves. Numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau, posted at CNY Central, reports that more than 480,000 New Yorkers moved out of state in 2023.

Is New York One of the Best States In the Country?

U.S. News & World Report's Best States Rankings were just released for 2025, and New York is just okay, according to these findings. Yahoo reports that the study used several metrics across eight categories - which were; crime and corrections, economy, education, fiscal stability, health care, infrastructure, natural environment and opportunity.

According to the report, New York ranked 22nd in the country. That is one spot up from 2024. According to the findings, New York did very well in Fiscal stability (3rd), Health Care (8th), and Natural Environment (6th). However, the state struggled in Economy (41st), Infrastructure (34th), and was almost dead last for Opportunity (49th).

Measuring Income and Wealth Across New York State

Measuring income and wealth across New York state can be a bit tricky. Some areas are doing quite well, as the state's Gross Domestic Product ranked third overall in the country, according to numbers collected through the NY State Comptroller's website.

But other towns are hurting. Officials from anti-poverty organizations have stated that "poverty across New York State remains unconscionably high".

CNBC recently reported that New York City was the richest city in the world, with a total of 359,500 millionaires, as well as 60 billionaires living in the five boroughs.

A report from Henley & Partners in collaboration with New World Wealth went on say that New York residents now have more than $3 trillion in wealth, greater than the GDPs of Brazil, Italy or Canada.