No State Is Perfect: The Worst Thing about Living in Each State

Deep in the heart of every American, there is no state like the one where he or she grew up, but every single one of the states has something to be ashamed of.

Every American state has something that makes it stand out, and those are the things we normally see on postcards and advertisement, but as great as they all sure are, if we look closer we are going to find a flaw.

Sometimes it’s the weather, sometimes it’s the economy, and sometimes it can be crime. The fact is that every state has its dark side. Let’s look at the worst aspect of every state in the US.

ALABAMA

The first state alphabetically in the US is unfortunately also the number one when it comes to poverty in the developed world, as a 2017 study by the United Nations determined.

ALASKA

The coldest American state is one of the worse hit by alcohol misuse, with alcohol being behind many convictions and children becoming affected by their parents or custodians’ alcoholism.

ARIZONA

Arizona has been suffering from a shortage of qualified teachers in its public schools, due to the low salaries the state’s public school system can afford to pay. As a result, it is not the best place for your children to receive an education.

ARKANSAS

At least in 2018, this state had the lowest percentage of university graduates compared to any other, according to Forbes.

CALIFORNIA

The state of California might have one of the strongest economies of the entire world, but when it comes to the quality of life of its inhabitants, it occupies one of the worst places. The poor quality of its air and water are a big part of it.

COLORADO

Colorado’s high altitude and its dryness make this state hard to handle for most of us, and to visit it one has to be prepared to cope with headaches, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness.

CONNECTICUT

Inequality of income is as big of a problem in the US as it is in the rest of the world, with the most wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, and Connecticut is one of the states where this disparity reaches the highest levels.

DELAWARE

Not only the cost and availability of attractions and entertainment there make it hard to find things to do during leisure time, and its nightlife is the worst in the world, but it is also the state with fewer movie theaters in the country.

FLORIDA

The opioid crisis has hit the southern state particularly hard, with overdoses claiming as many as 15 lives a day in 2018. The state filed a suit against the largest opioid drugmakers and distributors in the country.

GEORGIA

The infamous “Spaghetti Junction” is the most visible example of what is one of the worst traffic conditions in the US, with the average vehicle moving at less than 20 mph during rush hour.

HAWAII

Hawaii is the most disappointing state for taxpayers, considering the quality of services its residents receive when it comes to education, health, safety, economy, infrastructure, and pollution, according to a 2018 WalletHub study.

IDAHO

With its absence of opportunities for women in general to work, Idaho is considered the worst state in the country for working mothers. There is an overall lack of support for women in the workforce there, according to the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

ILLINOIS

As of 2018, Illinois had the highest overall tax burden in the country. The average household in this state pays as much as $8,000 in state and local taxes every year.

INDIANA

It is very hard for residents of this stat to access mental healthcare, due to a serious shortage of mental health professionals to help its citizens. The state has one of the worst conditions for the general well being of its residents.

IOWA

This is one of the lowest-performing states when it comes to innovation, showing little funding for business and share of tech companies, according to Forbes. Few buildings in Iowa have received certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

KANSAS

People will always find something to complain about, when it comes to the mostly rural state of Kansas, a good percentage of Americans agreed that it has the less attractive scenery of all 50 states, according to a 2013 poll.

KENTUCKY

Kentucky is the worst state for retirement in the entire country, taking into account several factors such as the cost of household services, taxes, and the age of the workforce, according to a 2018 study.

LOUISIANA

This is the state where adults are eating the unhealthiest food in general, with a high percentage of people failing to consume vegetables at least once a day. Not surprisingly, Louisiana leads the US obesity ratings.

MAINE

Maine is one of the most expensive places to live in the US, with its cost of living rising 14% above the average, not in small part due to its high taxes.

MARYLAND

Driving can be a nightmare in this state as well, not only because of traffic congestions but also because of the poor quality of many of its roads, not to mention the average gas prices.

MASSACHUSETTS

Ever since 1984, “happy hour” has been forbidden by law in this state, with the intention of reducing drunk driving incidents. Massachusetts has devised several laws to control alcohol consumption, and some liquor stores only accept local IDs to sell alcohol.

MICHIGAN

The Center for Public Integrity gave this northern state the worst qualification for state integrity in 2015, because of its lack of transparency and accountability that are supposed to fight corruption.

MINNESOTA

This state has the most unbearable winters, with some people believing that it has the single worst winter of the country. So much, that the Twin Cities even have something called a “Winter Misery Index.”

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi was ranked as the worst state in the US when it comes to health care in 2018, with health care being too expensive to be afforded by 19% of its adult residents.

MISSOURI

There have been more than 40 violent tornadoes in the past 40 years in this state, making it one of the states with the highest frequency of tornadoes in the US, as part of the area known as Tornado Alley.

MONTANA

The state is one of the most dangerous places to drive in the US territory, with an unusually high rate of road deaths in the country. To make things worse, Montanans show a lower usage of seat belts than the rest of the nation.

NEBRASKA

It seems that drinking and driving are two of the biggest problems in America, and these two problems make a fatal combination particularly in Nebraska, which has the fourth-highest prevalence of drunk drivers in the country.

NEVADA

They say that what easy comes, goes away as easily. While its most famous city, Las Vegas, is known as the capital of impulsive marriages, Nevada has one of the highest divorce rates in the US.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

This is one of the worst states when it comes to being able to afford a higher education, and New Hampshire students have the highest amount of college debt in the country.

NEW JERSEY

The financial instability of New Jersey makes it very difficult for this state’s residents and families to know what to expect in the long run, according to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University.

NEW MEXICO

Considering factors such as family fun, health and safety, and education and childcare, a 2018 Wallethub study concluded that New Mexico was the worst place to raise children in the country.

NEW YORK

Not only it is the state with the second-highest number of homeless people per every 100,000 in the US, but New York City also has the highest homeless population in the country, and it keeps increasing, while across the rest of the country it is trending downward.

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina was given the fifth place in food insecurity recently, meaning that there is not a consistent access to adequate food during the year, due to a lack of monetary resources among other problems.

NORTH DAKOTA

There is a shortage of auto-repairs in North Dakota, making it quite an ordeal for residents and visitors to have their vehicles fixed.

OHIO

Seven of the top 35 American cities with the worst allergies and asthma according to a 2015 study were located in this state, making it the worst in the country in this field.

OKLAHOMA

This state has one of the worst public health systems in the country, according to US News. It has one of the highest rates of infant mortality and mortality in general, just as with obesity, suicide, and mental health.

OREGON

In recent years, the state has come to be known as a hipster paradise, but there is a less glamorous aspect to Oregon, which has one of the highest incidences of serial killers per capita, with 162 serial killings in its history.

PENNSYLVANIA

This state holds one of the highest odds of hitting a deer with one’s car, and if the frequent deer-related vehicle accidents were not enough, the cost of fixing a car has increased greatly in recent years.

RHODE ISLAND

To Rhode Island’s shame, its public transportation system has been described as the worst in the entire country, according to US News. Yelp users seem to agree, and they have given the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority barely two stars.

SOUTH CAROLINA

The state has a lot of work to do when it comes to protecting its elderly population from abuse, ranking almost last in a recent WalletHub study about each state’s elder abuse laws.

SOUTH DAKOTA

While we really won’t recommend anybody to experience jail time, South Dakota should be one of the last places where you would want to get in trouble with the law, since its correction facilities have the second to last place in the country.

TENNESSEE

Tennessee needs more dentists. Maybe North Dakota could send some in exchange for auto-repairmen? The state has the lowest amount of dentists per capita, which results in an overall poor dental health.

TEXAS

If you believe in the American Dream, you better try to achieve it somewhere not in Texas, which has been ranked 47th regarding the possibility to find opportunities to make it happen.

UTAH

As a completely landlocked state, there are no beaches around for people to expose too much to the sun. And yet, Utah shows the highest incidence of skin cancer in the country.

VERMONT

Vermont’s infrastructure leaves a great deal to be desired, from what a study by the American Society of Civil Engineers recently showed. The state received poor qualifications when it came to handling solid waste, the quality of its roads, bridges, and dams, among other problems.

VIRGINIA

Virginia is the sixth state with most hate groups in the US (37). According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, for every one million people, 4 of them belong to hate groups.

WASHINGTON

Car theft is a major problem in this state, which ranks fourth in the incidence of this crime in the country, and this has kept increasing over the years.

WEST VIRGINIA

In 2018, West Virginia received the doubtful honor of being recognized as the least fun state in the US, with its lack of resources and places for entertaining neither locals nor tourists.

WISCONSIN

As local politicians never cease to point out, while not doing much to change it, the state keeps failing at creating jobs for its residents, ending last among the Midwestern states.

WYOMING

Last but not least, Wyoming has the lowest vaccination rate for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus in infants.