If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Are you a loyal Minnesota fan, or would you venture off to a new place? Somewhere warm year-round? A cabin in the mountains? Maybe a place with palm trees and an ocean breeze?

I used to daydream about living in Hawaii, and for years, my husband and I tossed around the idea of moving once we’re empty nesters. But the closer we get to that chapter, the more we realize, we actually really love it here. Minnesota might have its frigid flaws (looking at you, February), but there’s something about it that just feels like home.

Also See: How Much Money You Need to Earn to Buy a House in Minnesota.

Turns out, we’re not the only ones who think Minnesota is a great place to live. Minnesota was just recently named one of the absolute best places to live in America with very few states ranked above the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

US News & World Report ranked every state based on 71 different factors, from education and healthcare to infrastructure, opportunity, and quality of life. They weighted healthcare and education the most this time around.

And when it comes to the Midwest, Minnesota is absolutely killing it, beating out all our neighboring states: Nebraska placed 5th, South Dakota 8th, North Dakota 12th, Iowa 14th, and Wisconsin 17th.

New Report Says Minnesota Is One of the Best States to Live:

So, where does Minnesota land and which states dared to rank higher?

For 2025, Minnesota locked in the #4 spot, same as last year. Only New Hampshire, Idaho, and the best place to live, Utah, ranked higher.

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The Top States Flooding Minnesota with New Residents

Stacker put together a list of the states sending the most new residents to Minnesota, using data from the Census Bureau, they ranked by the number of people who moved to Minnesota from a different state in 2022.

Gallery Credit: David Drew

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