WalletHub: New Jersey Ranks No. 2 Best State to Live In

August 11, 2026 | njbiz.com

New Jersey is moving up in the world. Or at least in the United States. That’s according to WalletHub’s 2026 Best States to Live In list. 

The Garden State landed at No. 2 in the nation, according to the personal finance website. That’s up one notch from 2025 and 2024. New Jersey ranked No. 1 in 2021.

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NJ SEED: NJ ranked No. 1 in Safety and No. 7 in Education and Health, but next to last in affordability. That finding is consistent with the Forbes survey. Yes, it’s expensive and its politics are one-sided, but the state’s diversity, its beaches and highlands, its metropolitan areas extending into New York and Philadelphia, to its rich farmlands in the south, all contribute to making the Garden State a highly desirable place to live.