Consumer Reports: California is NOT One of The Best States to Move to in 2026

According to ConsumerAffairs’ 2026 report on the Best and Worst States to move to, California ranks #48 out of 50 states, with an overall score of 38.06/100. 

Well, California is up from #51 in 2024.

According to Consumer Reports, the 10 worst states tend to perform poorly in safety, with each placing 34th or lower, except for Mississippi, which is 12th best. Additionally, the bottom states have seven of the 10 lowest scores for the quality of life, and eight of the 10 lowest for education and healthcare. And although California and Oregon rank higher in education and healthcare, their ongoing cost-of-living crises were evident in their affordability rankings, where they place 50th and 44th, respectively.

Here are the Worst States to Move to in 2026 according to Consumer Reports:

1. New Mexico (28.99)
2. Louisiana (33.45)
3. California (38.06)
4. Arkansas
5. Oklahoma
6. Nevada
7. Alaska
8. Mississippi
9. Oregon
10. Arizona

The 10 best States to move to in 2026 consistently perform well across the metrics Consumer Reports studied, especially in safety and economic strength. The top-ranked states aren’t concentrated in one region. Instead, they’re spread across the U.S., giving movers a range of choices.

The Best states to move to in 2026:

1. New Hampshire (#1 at 68.51)
2. Utah
3. Idaho
4. Virginia
5. Maine
6. Massachusetts
7. South Dakota
8. Nebraska
9. Vermont
10. Wyoming

Why did California rank so low?

ConsumerAffairs evaluated states across five weighted categories: affordability, safety, crime, economic strength, healthcare & education, and quality of life. California struggled in key areas:

• Least affordable state — Housing costs take up 21% of median income compared to 17.6% nationally.
• Overall living costs are 10.7% above average.
• California also has some of the highest state taxes.
• Second-most dangerous — Higher-than-average violent and property crime rates at 4.9 per 1,000 residents. National averages: 3.6 and 17.6.
• Weak economic metrics, including higher unemployment and poverty indicators.
• Poor quality-of-life scores for many residents despite strengths elsewhere.

There were some positives for California:

• Strong healthcare & education – top 20 for healthcare access/quality/outcomes.
• Above-average bachelor’s degree attainment
• Abundant parks and outdoor amenities.

As the Globe has reported for many years, California has led in net domestic out-migration for years, with people leaving citing high cost of living, high crime, high cost of housing, highest taxes in the nation, and politics, and quality-of-life issues.

California’s safety metrics are mixed: while crime has improved sharply on paper, it is still elevated relative to national averages and top-ranked states.

California continues to experience significant net domestic out-migration, while Texas sees strong net domestic in-migration, according to U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimates, covering July 2024–July 2025, and related reports.

Net Domestic Migration: Americans Moving Between States

• California: Large net loss of 229,000 residents is one of the highest in the U.S. This continues a multi-year trend, with over 1.4 million net domestic losses from 2020–2024 in some estimates. Losses have slowed from peak pandemic levels – 471,000 in 2021 – but remain substantial.
• Texas: Net gain of 67,000 residents. It ranks among the top states for domestic inflows, and is often #2 behind North Carolina. Gains have slowed from pandemic highs, 219,000–222,000 in 2022, but stay positive.

Notably, many California out-migrants head to Texas, along with Arizona, Nevada, Florida, South Carolina. Texas benefits from this flow, with significant net gains from California.