+34
CNBC ranked only red states as worst to live in, but Census data shows Tennessee, Texas, and Utah are leading the nation in population growth.
Navy veteran who beat CNN in court says CIA wants him to delete, burn book manuscript: ‘That's censorship’Ivy League professor rips university for lackluster response to alleged mass AI cheatingJames Carville blames Bernie Sanders for Trump being president in fiery rant Bill Maher rips Buzzfeed, HuffPost to owner's face, says outlets are full of indoctrinated 'nepo babies'California nurse under fire after post wishing death on Trump, Lindsey GrahamFar-left streamer Hasan Piker calls Lindsey Graham 'bloodthirsty odious monster'New York business group campaigns to end 'Prohibition-era' alcohol restrictions statewideApple and Google suppressed negative Graham Platner stories for months on their news platform, study finds Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed fires back at CNN choosing to 'fixate' on 'defund the police' commentsTrump accuses 'fake news' of wanting US to lose Iran warCarville rages at far-left, laments that, 'Bernie Sanders is the reason that Donald Trump is president'Michigan football continues to show how corrupt its football program is | Don't @ Me w/Dan DakichCNN gets DUPED by fake X accountTrump calls Lindsey Graham’s Kavanaugh defense his ‘finest moment’Americans flee blue states for lower taxes Rastegar Capital CEO Ari Rastegar joins 'Fox News Live' to discuss Americans leaving blue states for lower taxes and the impact of rising rates on the housing market and supply-side issues, including helium and fertilizer.
, which exclusively placed conservative red states in all 10 spots of the"worst places to live" — even as official U.S. Census data shows some of those states are leading the nation in population growth. Critics quickly took to social media to call out the outlet for what they alleged as blatant liberal bias embedded in its ranking criteria.
Counting down from the tenth-worst place to the first, CNBC ranked the bottom ten states as Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas, andstudy," CNBC's report states.
"It is our annual ranking of every state’s business climate, now in its 20th year. Under this year’s methodology, the category makes up 11.6% of a state’s overall score, up from about ten percent last year. To score the states for quality of life, we use hard data on factors like crime rates, air quality and healthcare. We also consider the cost and availability of childcare, inclusiveness of state laws, and reproductive rights.
"The list is a subset of CNBC’s annual"America’s Top States for Business" study. To determine its"Life, Health and Inclusion" category, the outlet utilizes criteria such as crime rates, air quality, healthcare, and childcare availability. The metric also factors heavily in ideological policies, explicitly penalizing states for lack of protections against discrimination and restrictive abortion laws.
"Some states offer exemplary quality of life. But these ten states do not make the grade," the CNBC report stated.
"CNBC just dropped their 2026 ‘10 Worst States to Live In’ list … and it’s pure comedy," conservative commentator Reverend Jordan Wells— with the highest taxes in the country, insane cost of living, and endless progressive policies — didn’t crack the top 10? " "This is correct. Please believe this. Tennessee is HORRIBLE.
You definitely shouldn’t move here…," conservative Newsmax contributor Chrissy ClarkTennessee was dinged for the state's"bathroom law" — which requires transgender individuals to use facilities corresponding with their biological sex at birth — as well as a law barring localities from passing their own local antidiscrimination ordinances. The outlet also took aim at a joint resolution signed by Gov. Bill Lee this past April designating June as"Nuclear Family Month," while also noting it had low rankings for crime and drug deaths.
Utah, ranked sixth-worst, was hit for its $7.25 minimum wage, low availability of childcare providers and air quality. Georgia, the fifth-worst in the survey, was explicitly called out for offering"few protections for LGBTQ+ people, making it one of America's least inclusive states.
"immediately seized on the study, taking to X to point out that every single state on the list leaned red. However, conservatives and independent commentators noted that everyday Americans are"voting with their feet" against progressive governance.
"If you hate not paying income taxes, law and order, parental rights, smaller government, school choice, the Second Amendment, and criminal illegal aliens being arrested ... Here's another garbage list from the mainstream media!
" Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, posted.
"Actually I noticed something else: The list is a bulls••t list that has nothing to do with quality of life for sane people," countered conservative activist, a Tennessee resident. Starbuck, known for successfully leading major corporate boycotts against over-the-top DEI policies, added,"It’s all predicated onMedia personality Patrick Bet-David cited the net migration gains of the states CNBC criticized, noting that Texas added over 67,000 residents and Tennessee added over 42,000.
Georgia and Alabama also saw The demographic shift highlights a broader post-pandemic exodus from historically blue strongholds. While regions across the South and Sun Belt experience economic and population booms, major progressive cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles continue to bleed residents due to high taxes, rising crime, and astronomical costs of living.
U.S. Census Bureau data reveals that Los Angeles County alone has watched its population shrink from roughly 10 million in 2020 down to about 9.7 million today, losing over 56,000 residents in just a single one-year stretch. Similarly, a recent study by the Citizens Budget Commission confirmed that New York City continues to suffer net negative migration, losing far more domestic residents than it gains.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and received the University of Pennsylvania's
Scratch the next story
Culture Trends Tennessee Gavin Newsom Texas
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What Wins and What Loses the Game For Texas A&M vs. TennesseeThe Texas A&M Aggies will have to be ready when the Tennessee Volunteers head to College Station.
Read more »
Ranking of 10 worst states to live is entirely Republican, sparks backlashTennessee was ranked by CNBC as the worst state to live in for 2026, followed by Texas, Indiana, Louisiana and Georgia.
Read more »
Ranking of 10 worst states to live is entirely Republican, sparks backlashTennessee was ranked by CNBC as the worst state to live in for 2026, followed by Texas, Indiana, Louisiana and Georgia.
Read more »
CNBC survey mocked after ranking all red states as top 10 'worst places to live'CNBC ranked only red states as worst to live in, but Census data shows Tennessee, Texas, and Utah are leading the nation in population growth.
Read more »