California Has Worst 'Quality Of Life' In America

The Golden State may not be so golden based on a new study that ranks California as the state with the lowest quality of life in the country. The study was conducted by U.S. News and put California on the bottom of the list after looking at factors such as drinking water quality, air quality, community engagement and social support

The quality of life ranking was broken down into two categories, natural environment, and social environment. California was ranked 44th in the natural environment category. 

Included in national environment is drinking water quality, air quality and total toxic chemical pollution per square mile.

It also encompasses how at risk a state's citizens are for chronic, long-term health effects due to pollution.

When it comes to the social environment rankings, California came in 47th place. 

Included in social environment are community engagement, social support and voter participation. Community engagement and social support are based on surveys of how often people participate in community events and how often they spend time with friends, family and work colleagues.

Political involvement was determined by evaluating average voter turnout at the 2016 congressional and presidential elections.

The state has the 3rd highest cost of living, behind only New York and Hawaii, and came in 49th when ranked on housing affordability. The high cost of living, combined with the lack of affordable housing has created a major homeless problem in the state. 

According to Fox News, homelessness has been surging in California, with at least 55,000 homeless people living in Los Angeles County alone. 

The study also ranked states on health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, and fiscal stability. They used those categories to determine the best states to live in. 

Overall, California was ranked as the 32nd best state to live in. North Dakota has the highest quality of life in the country, while Iowa was ranked as the best state to live in. 

Photo: Getty Images


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