SC one of the worst states to move to in 2026, study says. Here’s why and where it ranks
People are flocking to South Carolina like there’s no tomorrow and are here to stay.
Between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, SC’s population grew at a rate of 1.5%, faster than any other part of the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Lower costs of living and expanding job markets are drawing in more people to the Palmetto State, but that doesn’t mean SC is the perfect place to relocate.
ConsumerAffairs, a research and consumer advocacy platform, released a list of the top states to move to in 2026 and ranked each state individually based on five different categories.
Here’s where South Carolina placed:
SC movability score
Despite SC’s recent popularity, ConsumerAffairs says that the Palmetto State is one of the worst states to move to, due to its poor safety, healthcare, education and quality of life rankings. SC was just shy of the bottom 10 states, placing 39th in the ranking.
On the bright side, SC didn’t go down in its ranking from last year, but also didn’t improve. Here are the factors that contributed to the state’s low ranking:
- Safety ranking: 42nd
- Health care and education ranking: 37th
- Quality of life ranking: 34th
SC’s biggest strengths were its affordability and economic strength ranking, placing 18th and 20th in the country respectively.
Top 5 states to move to
These are the five states that placed at the very top of the ranking, receiving great scores for each category. Here are the best states to move to in 2026 and their scores:
1. New Hampshire
- Safety ranking: 2nd
- Health care and education ranking: 3rd
- Quality of life ranking: 2nd
- Affordability ranking: 26th
- Economic strength ranking: 7th
2. Utah
- Safety ranking: 7th
- Health care and education ranking: 17th
- Quality of life ranking: 27th
- Affordability ranking: 9th
- Economic strength ranking: 1st
3. Idaho
- Safety ranking: 1st
- Health care and education ranking: 31st
- Quality of life ranking: 26th
- Affordability ranking: 16th
- Economic strength ranking: 2nd
4. Virginia
- Safety ranking: 11th
- Health care and education ranking: 10th
- Quality of life ranking: 12th
- Affordability ranking: 24th
- Economic strength ranking: 13th
5. Maine
- Safety ranking: 3rd
- Health care and education ranking: 15th
- Quality of life ranking: 10th
- Affordability ranking: 37th
- Economic strength ranking: 19th
Methodology
- ConsumerAffairs evaluated all 50 states using the five categories to identify the best states to move to in the U.S.
- For affordability, they used data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Tax Foundation.
- Safety rankings were determined using data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and NeighborhoodScout.
- Economic strength ranking was determined using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau.
- Health care and education rankings were determined using data from The Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics.
- Quality of life rankings were determined using data from The Social Progress Imperative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Weather Spark, the National Association of State Park Directors and the National Park Foundation.