Which state has the best capital? See where ATL ranks
Moving is an exciting, yet difficult time in someone’s life. But, that hasn’t stopped millions of people from migrating in the last few years.
According to SmartAsset, a financial planning service, moving to a different state has been fairly common among Americans.
SmartAsset’s study called “Best State Capitals to Live In – 2022 Edition,” revealed that around 4.2 million people moved to a different state from 2019 to 2020 and in 2021, 4.4 million people made the move to a different state.
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau confirmed the trend.
“On average, smaller counties tended to have increases in net domestic migration this past year, while larger counties (those with populations of 500,000 or more) tended to have decreases in net domestic migration,” according to U.S. Census researchers.
“As Americans increasingly look to live in different states, state capitals may be ideal locations to reside in if you’re looking for rich culture and history, access to a variety of job opportunities and a front seat to a state’s political happenings,” said Anja Solum, a personal finance expert in Raleigh.
Moving to a different state may seem foreign to some, but to others, it must be done for education or employment reasons, to be closer to family or just to save a little money in a smaller area.
These things and more are what SmartAsset used to determine the rankings for each state capital.
Specifically, the study evaluated each capital’s affordability, employment, education, leisure and safety. The Peach State’s capital was ranked 45 on the list, as its affordability, leisure and safety scores were low.
So, which state’s capitals ranked high on the list and which ranked low?
Best capitals to call home
- Pierre, South Dakota (ranked #1)
This state capital received a perfect affordability, education and employment score, making it the best capital to live in.
- Madison, Wisconsin (ranked #2)
SmartAsset gave Madison a perfect leisure and safety score. The education and employment score was also very high.
- Lincoln, Nebraska (ranked #3)
This state capital did not receive any perfect scores, but its employment and education scores were very high, and its affordability score was not far behind.
Worst state capitals
- Dover, Delaware (ranked #50)
This state capital received a zero for employment and education and a low score in affordability.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (ranked #49)
SmartAsset gave this capital a low score in employment, education and affordability.
- Little Rock, Arkansas (ranked #48)
This state capital received a zero in the category of leisure and safety, but it received a good affordability score.
