CNBC faced a wave of online mockery Monday after releasing its annual quality-of-life rankings, 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, and Tennessee. All 10 states are Republican-led and voted for President Donald Trump in 2024. The list is a subset of CNBC’s annual «America’s Top States for Business» study, now in its 20th year.
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.
Conservative commentator Reverend Jordan Wells wrote on X: «CNBC just dropped their 2026 ‘10 Worst States to Live In’ list … and it’s pure comedy. Shocking. All deep red, conservative states. But somehow California and New York — with the highest taxes in the country, insane cost of living, and endless progressive policies — didn’t crack the top 10?»
Newsmax contributor Chrissy Clark responded with sarcasm: «This is correct. Please believe this. Tennessee is HORRIBLE. You definitely shouldn’t move here…» The corporate media outlet took direct shots at local conservative legislation across the board. Tennessee 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.» Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately seized on the study, taking to X to point out that every single state on the list leaned red. «Notice something in common?» Newsom posted. «All led by Republicans — many suffering from California Derangement Syndrome.»
However, conservatives and independent commentators noted that everyday Americans are «voting with their feet» against progressive governance. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, posted: «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!» Conservative activist Robby Starbuck, a Tennessee resident, countered: «Actually I noticed something else: The list is a bulls••t list that has nothing to do with quality of life for sane people. It’s all predicated on far left BS... Our states all gained population while YOUR state lost a record amount.»
Media 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 population influxes. «'10 worst states' based on what? CNBC had ‘inclusivity’ as one of its criteria,» Bet-David noted. «The numbers tell a different story.» 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. Fox News Digital reached out to CNBC for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
