Posted by: Adam McCann

State capitals aren’t just for lawmaking. Often, they’re thriving cities with a lot of economic and cultural value. In fact, they can be some of the best places to live in America. But not all state capitals are created equal. And though 17 of them are the largest cities in their states, the biggest population doesn’t always represent the best quality of life. Some have rampant poverty problems. For example, over 30% of the population of Harford, CT lives in poverty, compared to 12.7% of the entire United States.

In order to determine which state capitals make the best homes, WalletHub compared all 50 across 51 key indicators of affordability, economic strength, quality of education and health, and overall living standards. Our data set ranges from cost of living to K–12 school-system quality to number of attractions. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings

Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/19030/geochart-state-capitals.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://bit.ly/2BJGp0L>  

Best State Capitals

Overall Rank (1=Best)	City	State Capital Index	‘Affordability’ Rank	‘Economic Well-Being’ Rank	‘Quality of Education & Health’ Rank	‘Quality of Life’ Rank
1	Austin, TX	67.73	7	3	2	4
2	Madison, WI	64.67	26	6	1	5
3	Boise, ID	63.15	8	11	8	9
4	Lincoln, NE	63.03	9	8	4	18
5	Bismarck, ND	61.63	3	1	21	36
6	Raleigh, NC	60.89	4	10	16	23
7	Denver, CO	60.53	41	7	12	3
8	Salt Lake City, UT	60.47	16	12	11	11
9	Juneau, AK	58.27	15	2	17	37
10	Concord, NH	58.25	6	13	22	31
11	Columbus, OH	58.19	12	30	23	10
12	Helena, MT	58.06	19	9	10	33
13	Olympia, WA	57.10	25	22	7	21
14	Oklahoma City, OK	56.48	2	14	36	24
15	St. Paul, MN	55.83	34	24	9	20
16	Cheyenne, WY	55.82	1	4	39	43
17	Montpelier, VT	55.76	30	20	3	28
18	Pierre, SD	55.39	13	17	19	34
19	Des Moines, IA	55.33	11	36	20	29
20	Phoenix, AZ	55.16	22	25	25	15
21	Atlanta, GA	55.11	29	42	15	7
22	Nashville, TN	54.56	20	15	33	16
23	Annapolis, MD	53.34	31	32	18	22
24	Jefferson City, MO	53.31	10	16	38	41
25	Salem, OR	53.28	38	18	13	27
26	Santa Fe, NM	53.27	31	21	30	17
27	Sacramento, CA	53.00	43	26	26	8
28	Honolulu, HI	53.00	50	5	5	1
29	Springfield, IL	52.90	5	23	37	40
30	Boston, MA	51.33	49	29	6	2
31	Albany, NY	51.21	45	39	14	12
32	Columbia, SC	49.97	33	43	27	19
33	Tallahassee, FL	49.95	37	40	24	26
34	Topeka, KS	49.61	17	28	34	46
35	Lansing, MI	49.41	21	34	32	39
36	Richmond, VA	48.07	42	41	44	6
37	Augusta, ME	47.91	40	27	28	42
38	Indianapolis, IN	45.66	27	46	42	30
39	Frankfort, KY	44.75	14	37	48	45
40	Harrisburg, PA	44.68	39	48	40	14
41	Dover, DE	44.49	28	38	43	48
42	Little Rock, AR	44.28	23	33	45	47
43	Charleston, WV	43.94	18	31	46	50
44	Baton Rouge, LA	43.15	36	35	49	32
45	Carson City, NV	43.08	46	19	41	49
46	Providence, RI	42.17	47	47	29	13
47	Montgomery, AL	40.52	24	44	50	38
48	Jackson, MS	40.43	35	45	47	44
49	Hartford, CT	38.72	48	49	31	25
50	Trenton, NJ	38.70	44	50	35	35

Ask the Experts

Living in a state capital offers many perks, but there are tradeoffs as well. For more insight, we asked a panel of experts to weigh in with their thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What are the benefits and drawbacks to living in a state’s capital city?
2. In evaluating the best state capitals to live in, what are the top five indicators?
3. How does exempting government buildings from local property taxes affect the fiscal well-being of capital cities?
4. Are residents of capital cities more likely to be politically engaged, all else equal?

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• Jennifer Jensen Ph.D. – Professor of Political Science, Lehigh University
• Mark C. Miller J.D., Ph.D. – Professor, Director, Law & Society Program, University Pre-Law Advisor, Department of Political Science, Clark University

Methodology

In order to identify the best state capitals to live in, WalletHub compared all 50 across four key dimensions: 1) Affordability, 2) Economic Well-Being, 3) Quality of Education & Health and 4) Quality of Life.

We evaluated those dimensions using compiled 51 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most livable state capital. Data for metrics marked with an asterisk (*) were available only at the state level. For metrics marked with two asterisks (**), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

We then determined each state capital’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its “State Capital Index” and used the resulting indexes to rank-order our sample.

Affordability – Total Points: 25

• Cost of Living: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)
• Median Household Income: Double Weight (~10.00 Points)Note: This metric was adjusted for the cost of living.
• Housing Costs: Full Weight (~5.00 Points)Note: This composite metric was calculated as follows: (Median House Price / Median Annual Household Income); (Median Rent Price / Median Annual Household Income)

Economic Well-Being – Total Points: 25

• Population Growth: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Income Growth: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Median Credit Score: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Income Inequality: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Debt as a Share of Median Income: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Share of Population Living Below Poverty Level: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Homeownership Rate: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Share of Homes Underwater (with negative equity): Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Underemployment Rate: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Foreclosure Rate: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Bankruptcy Rate: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)
• Building-Permit Activity: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)Note: This metric measures the number of new unit permits pulled per capita.
• Share of State-, Local- & Federal-Government Employees: Full Weight (~1.79 Points)

Quality of Education & Health – Total Points: 25

• K–12 School-System Quality: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)Note: This metric measures the share of public schools rated by GreatSchools.org with above average score.
• Average University Score: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)Note: This metric is based on data from WalletHub Report.
• Number of Universities in Top 973: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)Note: This metric is based on data from WalletHub Report.
• Share of Adults with at Least a Bachelor’s Degree: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)Note: “Adults” include the population aged 25 and older.
• Share of Population with Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)Note: “Population” includes ages 16 and older.
• Quality of Public Hospital System: Full* Weight (~1.56 Points)Note: This metric is based on data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
• Hospital Beds per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
• Premature-Death Rate: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)Note: This metric measures average years of potential life lost.
• Infant-Mortality Rate: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
• Share of Adults in Good Health: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)Note: This metric is based on a health survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Good Health” includes responses of “good,” “very good” and “excellent” health. “Adults” include respondents aged 18 and older.
• Adult Obesity Rate: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
• Physical Inactivity: Full Weight (~1.56 Points)
• Share of Live Births with Low Birth Weight: Double Weight (~3.13 Points)

Quality of Life – Total Points: 25

• Share of Millennial Newcomers: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)Note: “Attractions” include, for instance, zoos, museums and theaters.
• Nightlife Options per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Restaurants per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Affordable Restaurants with Ratings of 4.5+ Stars: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Bars per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Coffee Shops per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Movie Theaters per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Fitness Centers per Capita**: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Walkability: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)Note: This metric is based on data from Walk Score.
• Bike Score: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Access to Public Transportation: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Average Commute Time: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Likelihood of Traffic Accidents: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)Note: This metric measures the likelihood of traffic accidents compared with the U.S. average.
• Driving Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Average Weekly Work Hours: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Mildness of Weather: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Cities with the Best & Worst Weather ranking.
• Air Quality: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)
• Sports Fan-Friendliness: Full Weight (~1.09 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s Best Sports Cities ranking.
• Violent-Crime Rate: Double Weight (~2.17 Points)
• Property-Crime Rate: Double Weight (~2.17 Points)

Videos for News Use:

• YouTube (for web embedding National)
• YouTube (for web embedding Austin)
• Raw files (for editing into clips)

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Council for Community and Economic Research, Chmura Economics & Analytics, ATTOM Data Solutions (RealtyTrac), TransUnion, GreatSchools.org, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Health Resources & Services Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, County Health Rankings, Walk Score, Zillow, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Allstate Insurance Company, Yelp, TripAdvisor, United States Environmental Protection Agency and WalletHub research.

Image: Roschetzky Photography / Shutterstock.com

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