CNBC has released its annual rankings of the top states in the nation, with Connecticut landing in the top 10 for several key categories, including fifth place for both quality of life and education, and eighth for workforce strength.
CNBC described its methodology as weighing ten major categories impacting life in different states and assigning an overall score that is then compared to other states.
When determining quality of life, the news source said it focused on factors that can help attract workers. It factored in information like crime rates (Connecticut has among the lowest), environmental quality (Connecticut has numerous open and preserved spaces) and health care (Connecticut has among the best health care systems in the country).
The study also looked at childcare availability and affordability, worker protections including wages and paid leave programs, inclusiveness of state laws and preservation of reproductive rights. These priorities reflect surveys that find many young workers do not want to live or work in states with abortion bans.
As Connecticut has increased its minimum wage over $16 per hour, is actively investing in childcare availability and has strong protections in place for reproductive rights, it rose from last year’s rankings by four spots, climbing from the top 10 to the top 5.
For education rankings, CNBC looked at grade-level school performance, including test scores, class size and spending per student. The network also considered higher education, including the number of colleges and universities in each state and long-term trends in state support of higher education.
The rankings evaluated the number of historically Black colleges and universities, as well as community college and career education systems. Connecticut’s top-5 spot reflects its strong college and community college systems and regular top-10 placements in rankings of best school systems.
In reviewing state workforces, CNBC considered how many workers in science, technology, engineering and math fields were in each state and the percentage of workers with college degrees or industry-specific certificates. It also reviewed factors like net migration of educated workers, training programs and worker productivity. In a year-to-year comparison, Connecticut’s workforce climbed from 20th last year to 8th in 2025.
