On Monday, CNBC found itself at the center of a digital storm after unveiling its annual quality-of-life rankings. This year’s list pinpointed conservative-leaning red states as the ten “worst places to live,” a decision that spurred criticism, particularly considering official U.S. Census data indicates some of these states are topping the charts in population growth.
Immediately, social media echoed with voices accusing the media outlet of harboring an overt liberal bias, criticizing the ranking criteria as being potentially skewed.
Enumerating from the tenth spot to the top of this list, CNBC identified Arkansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas, and finally, Tennessee as the states lagging behind in quality of life.
It’s notable that this list comprises entirely Republican-governed states, all of which supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
CNBC emphasized a growing focus on quality of life, labeled as one of the ten pivotal categories within their annual study of America’s Top States for Business, according to the report’s details.
“It is our annual ranking of every state’s business climate, now in its 20th year. Under this year’s methodology, the category makes up 11.6% of a state’s overall score, up from about ten percent last year. To score the states for quality of life, we use hard data on factors like crime rates, air quality and healthcare. We also consider the cost and availability of childcare, inclusiveness of state laws, and reproductive rights.”
The list is a subset of CNBC’s annual “America’s Top States for Business” study.
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.
“CNBC just dropped their 2026 ‘10 Worst States to Live In’ list … and it’s pure comedy,” conservative commentator Reverend Jordan Wells wrote on X.
“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?”
“This is correct. Please believe this. Tennessee is HORRIBLE. You definitely shouldn’t move here…,” conservative Newsmax contributor Chrissy Clark wrote with sarcasm.
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.
“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!” Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, posted.
“Actually I noticed something else: The list is a bulls–t list that has nothing to do with quality of life for sane people,” countered conservative activist Robby Starbuck, a Tennessee resident. Starbuck, known for successfully leading major corporate boycotts against over-the-top DEI policies, added, “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.