I've never lived in an area like the Tri-States before, insofar that I've never had the ability to cross two different state-lines with relative ease. It makes weekend jaunts that much more feasible and the possibilities that much more plentiful.

Plus, if you're deciding where to set up camp for a while, according to a new survey, you can't go wrong with any of the three states.

WalletHub's 2022 "Best States to Live In" survey is out and Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin all made the top 20 in fairly close proximity. WalletHub's study looked at five significant factors:

  • Affordability (including median household income + cost of living)
  • Economy (including unemployment rate + income growth)
  • Education & Health (including quality of public schools + life expectancy)
  • Quality of Life (including average hours worked + access to public transportation)
  • Safety (including violent-crime rate and traffic-related fatalities)
The darker the state, the higher the rank. Photo Credit: WalletHub
The darker the state, the higher the rank. Photo Credit: WalletHub
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Wisconsin was able to eek into the top 10 with an overall score of 57.92. Here's where Wisconsin ranked in the aforementioned categories:

  • Affordability: 32nd
  • Economy: 50th
  • Education & Health: 23rd
  • Quality of Life: 4th
  • Safety: 7th

Meanwhile, Illinois was named the 15th best state to live in, boasting an overall score of 55.47. Illinois ranked fairly similar to Wisconsin, as a result:

  • Affordability: 36th
  • Economy: 50th
  • Education & Health: 23rd
  • Quality of Life: 4th
  • Safety: 7th
Iowa,Road,Sign,With,Dramatic,Clouds,And,Sky.
Photo By Andy Dean Photography on Shutterstock
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Finally, there's Iowa, which ranked right behind Illinois at #16 on WalletHub's list with a score just .10 lower: 55.37. Here's how Iowa stacked up:

  • Affordability: 20th
  • Economy: 28th
  • Education & Health: 18th
  • Quality of Life: 17th
  • Safety: 21st

WalletHub also found that Iowa has the lowest housing costs in the entire country, beating the likes of Nebraska and Kansas. California, unsurprisingly, had the highest housing costs.

East Coast states claimed the top three spots with Massachusetts coming in at #1, New Jersey at #2, and New York at #3. New York wound up placing #1 when it came to quality of life, while Massachusetts was lauded for its education and healthcare. New Jersey placed #1 in safety.

If you live in a vibrant, safe, and well-maintained community, it's easy to take it for granted. I've come to really enjoy my short-time in Iowa, having moved from Illinois. It's not necessarily a place I thought I'd end up, but it's been fruitful thus far.

See the full results of WalletHub's survey here!

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