CNBC ranks 10 GOP-led states as worst to live in

(The Center Square) – The national news outlet CNBC ranked 10 Republican-led states as the worst to live in its 2026 America’s Top States for Business rankings.

Officials from Republican-led Texas, which ranked second to worst for quality of life in CNBC’s report, scoffed at the rankings.

In its business ranking it also included a new quality of life category in which crime rates, air quality, healthcare access, worker protections and civil rights laws were considered. This includes childcare costs, taxpayer-funded healthcare and Medicaid expansion, “inclusiveness of state laws” related to gender and LGBTQ, and access to abortion.

“With more states touting their quality of life when trying to attract business, CNBC is giving [quality of life] more weight in the 2026 America’s Top States for Business rankings. Based on the data, quality of life in some states does not make the grade,” Read Entire Article