In 2024, the top 10 states with the poorest quality of life in America will be revealed.

• Although worker shortages have lessened, companies remain vigilant in considering quality of life when selecting a location to attract skilled workers.
• CNBC's yearly evaluation of state business environments takes into account the quality of life among a variety of competitiveness factors.
• Metrics for assessing quality of life encompass Crime, Child Care, Health Care, Environmental Quality, and Inclusiveness.

Despite a slight decline in the job market, there are still more job openings than people to fill them, making qualified workers highly valued.

While some states are eager to attract great employees, America's worst states to live and work in are not those that offer a great quality of life.

In the current year, CNBC's America's Top States for Business study takes into account the quality of life among ten categories of competitiveness used to rank the states. Specifically, the Quality of Life category accounts for 13% of a state's overall score.

We evaluate each state based on various livability factors, including crime rates, health care, air quality, child care, worker protections, legal safeguards against discrimination, and personal freedom, particularly reproductive rights.

In these ten states, the welcome mat has several holes in it.

10. Arizona

We exclude weather opinions from our Quality of Life rankings, so Arizona's ranking is based solely on factors other than the heat. However, we do take into account air quality, and Arizona's rising temperatures are contributing to some of the worst ozone pollution in the country, according to the American Lung Association.

According to the American Hospital Association, the Grand Canyon State has a growing shortage of health care, with fewer than two hospital beds per 1,000 people.

In May, Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs repealed the near-total abortion ban passed in 1864, before Arizona was a state. However, this left the state with a 15-week ban. Additionally, a quirk in the state constitution could temporarily reinstate the 1864 ban this fall.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 119 out of 325 Points, with the top states receiving a grade of D-.

Strengths: Crime, Voting Rights, Worker Protections

Weaknesses: Air Quality, Reproductive Rights, Health Care

9. Kansas

In Kansas, there are only 825 licensed child-care centers despite a population of 2.9 million people, and this state also has some of the most expensive child care in the country, with a married couple earning a median income spending nearly 14% of it on child care.

Despite the picturesque prairie scenery, Kansans reported over 11,000 violent crimes in 2022, which is the most recent data available from the FBI. Although the crime rate has recently started to decrease after a nearly ten-year increase, Kansas remains more violent than the national average.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 113 out of 325 Points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strengths: Health Care, Reproductive Rights

Weaknesses: Child Care, Crime, Worker Protections

8. Louisiana

The high violent crime rate in Louisiana, with over 300 murders in 2022, may be a testament to the resilience of its people.

Despite having the fourth-highest rate of premature deaths and more than 40% of its population being obese, Louisiana is a leader in child care with over 1,800 licensed facilities in a state of 4.5 million people, according to the Louisiana Department of Education and the United Health Foundation.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 100 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Child Care

Weaknesses: Crime, Health, Reproductive Rights

7. Missouri

Missouri, despite being one of the last states to allow early and mail voting in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, remains one of the most difficult states to vote in, according to elections researcher Michael Pomante of the States United Democracy Center. Missouri is one of only 10 states that require a qualified excuse to vote by mail. Additionally, Missouri has America's sixth-highest crime rate, with over 30,000 offenses reported in 2022.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 98 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Air Quality

Weaknesses: Voting Rights, Crime, Reproductive Rights

6. Tennessee

Despite a nearly 9% decline in the murder rate in 2022, Tennessee remains one of the most violent states in the nation, according to FBI crime statistics.

In 2024, Tennessee lawmakers enacted a wave of discriminatory legislation, including a law signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee that prohibits the state social services department from placing LGBTQ+ foster children in supportive homes. Additionally, a law was passed that allows the state to abolish its independent human rights commission and integrate it into the partisan Attorney General's office.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 96 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strengths: Child Care, Air Quality

Weaknesses: Crime, Inclusiveness, Health Care

5. Arkansas

The Natural State is a dangerous state with the second-highest violent crime rate in the nation after New Mexico. Its public accommodation law has weak anti-discrimination provisions, with no protections against discrimination based on age, veteran or military status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, or marital status. However, the state is a leader in affordable child care, with a married, median income couple expected to pay just 9% of their income on child care. The state, with a population of about three million people, has nearly 1,800 licensed child-care facilities.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 93 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Child Care

Weaknesses: Inclusiveness, Crime, Voting Rights

4. Oklahoma

Oklahoma's strict abortion ban, resulting from the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs decision, is one of the most restrictive in the country, according to the Guttmacher Institute. It allows abortions only in cases of rape, incest, or if the procedure is necessary to save the mother's life. Meanwhile, Oklahomans have the third-highest obesity rate and the third-lowest rate of physical exercise, making the state one of America's least healthy.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 85 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Air Quality

Weaknesses: Reproductive Rights, Health, Worker Protections, Voting Rights

3. Alabama

The four states that do not permit early voting, as stated by The Center for Election Innovation and Research, include Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, and New Hampshire. This year, Alabama enacted substantial new limitations on absentee voting.

Oxfam America ranked Alabama last for wage policies. The state minimum wage of $7.25 per hour fails to cover more than 20% of the cost of living for a family of four. Additionally, Alabama is one of only five states without a public accommodation law prohibiting discrimination against non-disabled individuals.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 83 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Child Care

Weaknesses: Voting Rights, Inclusiveness, Worker Protections

2. Indiana

Nearly seven million people in Indiana have limited access to child care due to the low supply of licensed facilities, which is just 772. This results in expensive child care, with a married couple spending nearly 13% of their median income on it.

Indiana has enacted legislation similar to other states that aims to restrict the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, including prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors and preventing teachers from discussing sexuality with young children.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 78 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Crime

Weaknesses: Child Care, Reproductive Rights, Inclusiveness, Voting Rights

1. Texas

Despite the influx of 220,000 educated workers to Texas in 2022, the state still ranks low in Quality of Life. This suggests that the reasons for moving to Texas may not necessarily translate to a high quality of life.

Health care is a basic need, yet Texas falls short in several areas. The state ranks 49th in primary care providers per 100,000 residents, with only 182 providers, according to the United Health Foundation. Additionally, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the country, with 28.3% of the population lacking health insurance, according to The Commonwealth Fund. To make matters worse, a significant portion of Texans with a credit score have medical debt that has gone to collections, with 19% of the population facing this issue.

New Texans are facing few legal protections, including discrimination against non-disabled individuals, LGBTQ+ community, and strict abortion laws. Additionally, state unemployment benefits cover less than 10% of the average cost of living, according to Oxfam America.

Could Texas' strict laws lead to a backlash? Some anecdotal accounts suggest that people are leaving the state due to its abortion ban and anti-LGBTQ+ laws. However, statistically, the state continues to attract people with America's worst quality of life.

The 2024 Quality of Life Score is 75 out of 325 points, with the top states receiving a grade of F.

Strength: Air Quality

Reproductive rights, health care, voting rights, inclusiveness, and worker protections are areas of concern.