These Are The 10 Worst States To Make A Living

MoneyRates.com has released the results of its fourth annual study of the best and worst states to make a living, and Hawaiians: We have some bad news for you.

The ranking, which is based on average salaries and employment data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cost of living as determined by the Council for Community and Economic Research, and workplace conditions as established by the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, ordered all 50 states in terms of how difficult or easy it is to make a solid living.

The 10 worst states are led by Hawaii, which has held its place for all four years the study has been conducted, followed by New York, which features the same high cost of living and also has its high wages negated by a similarly high state income tax.

The 10 worst states to make a living are:

1. Hawaii
2. New York
3. Mississippi
4. Rhode Island
5. Connecticut
6. Alaska
7. Alabama
8. Arkansas
9. New Jersey
10. South Carolina

And the best are:

1. Washington
2. Texas
3. Minnesota
4. Colorado
5. Utah
6. North Dakota
7. Virginia
8. Nevada
9. Oklahoma
10. Nebraska

You can read the reasoning behind each state's ranking on MoneyRates.com (worst here and best here), as well as see where your own state falls.