MS one of worst states to move to in 2026 — it’s worse than last year, ranking says. Here’s why
Mississippi is one of the worst states to move to in 2026, falling three spots from its position a year ago, a recent ranking shows.
The July ranking by ConsumerAffairs, a consumer news and advocacy organization, identified the best states to move to in 2026 based on affordability, safety, economic strength, healthcare, education and quality of life.
By why did the Magnolia State rank among the bottom states to move to? Here’s what the study found.
Why did MS rank so low?
The Magnolia State ranked 8th worst state to move to in 2026, according to ConsumerAffiars. The following three reasons made it one lowest-scoring states on the ranking:
1. Weak economy
Mississippi has the third-weakest economy with 17.8% of residents living below the poverty level and a job growth rate of 6.5%, according to the study.
2. Healthcare and education
The state’s healthcare system ranked 50th nationally for its performance in access, quality and health outcomes, analysts said. Less than 30% of adult residents have a bachelor’s degree or higher, lower than the national average of about 37%, according to the study.
3. Quality of life
Mississippians experience some of the worst quality of life in the country, the study found. The state has the second-lowest score on ConsumerAffairs’ Social Progress Index, meaning the state government is not meeting residents’ needs across social and environmental indicators.
Is it all bad news for Mississippians?
No, it’s not all bad. Mississippians tend to pay less for everyday goods and services compared with most Americans as the cost of living in the state is about 13% less than the national average, analysts said.
Mississippi is the 12th best state for safety, the study found. With 2.1 violent crimes and 13.63 property crimes per 1,000 residents, the state’s crime rates sit well below the national average of 3.6 violent crimes and 17.6 property crimes per 1,000 U.S. residents, according to analysts.
Which states are the worst to move to in 2026?
These are the top 10 worst states to move to in 2026, according to ConsumerAffairs:
1. New Mexico
2. Louisiana
3. California
4. Arkansas
5. Oklahoma
6. Nevada
7. Alaska
8. Mississippi
9. Oregon
10. Arizona
Which states are the best to move to in 2026?
These are the top five best states to move to in 2026, according to ConsumerAffairs:
1. New Hampshire
2. Utah
3. Idaho
4. Virginia
5. Maine
How did ConsumerAffairs conduct study?
ConsumerAffairs analysts evaluated all 50 states across the following five weighted categories: affordability, safety, economic strength, healthcare and education and quality of life.
“For each metric, the top-performing state received the maximum number of points, while all other states received proportionally lower scores. We then combined the metric scores within each category and added the category scores together to calculate an overall score out of 100 points,” analysts said.
