As an offshoot of CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business 2022 study, the news outlet also compiled a list of the worst states to live in. At the bottom of the list was Arizona, with the report calling the state the worst place to reside in the United States in 2022.
Methodology: CNBC’s report looked at factors such as health care, crime rates, environmental quality and child care.
- It also took into consideration inclusiveness and protection against discrimination.
Why Arizona? The American Lung Association says that Arizona has some of the worst air quality in the U.S., with some areas experiencing 39 high ozone days per year, per CNBC.
- Phoenix, Arizona, ranked seventh for year-round particle pollution and 10th for short term particle pollution in 2020, according to IQAir.
- CNBC reports that Arizona also has a poor health care system compared to the rest of the country, with a shortage of staff and hospital beds. The state also spends $79 per person on public health, which is one of the lowest rates in the country.
- Arizona has a Life, Health & Inclusion Score of 67 out of 325 points, which translates as a grade F, according to CNBC.
- The state is also placed at the bottom due to its air quality, health resources, inclusiveness and crime.
Yes, but: Although CNBC ranks the state last, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the country, placing third in numeric growth in 2020.
- Arizona is also known for some of the country’s most remarkable outdoor attractions, such as the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley and the Hoover Dam, according to Visit Arizona.