The best (and worst) states for millennials to live and work

Millennials have been described as hard to please, but these top states check all the boxes.

WalletHub ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia to decide which places are the best and worst for millennials. The scores were based on factors like unemployment rates, monthly earnings, cost of living and other financial wellness factors.

The best overall states span the country and include Washington, D.C., where millennials make an average of $7,496 per month, the highest in the U.S. The worst states were in the south and west, and include West Virginia, New Mexico and Mississippi, which has the lowest monthly income for millennials: $3,291.

Read more: Special report: Generation COVID

Millennials have struggled with financial insecurity since joining the workforce during the 2008 financial crisis. Now the largest working population, millennials are dealing with crippling student loan debt and high unemployment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mississippi had the highest millennial unemployment rate of 8.03%, according to the WalletHub report.

Read more: Student loan debt is crushing employees’ mental and financial wellness. Is it time for employers to take action?

As employers seek to attract new talent and have the option to hire from anywhere, organizations should be flexible in allowing millennials — and all workers — to settle in locations that provide optimal benefits to them, Eddy Ng, a professor of DEI, said in the WalletHub report.

“It is important to understand what millennials find attractive,” Ng says. “For skilled workers, especially those with digital and new economy skills, they understand that they have tremendous mobility. There is a global competition for talent.”

Here are the top 10 states for millennials. WalletHub ranked all states in their report.