Texas best state to make a living

Forbes:

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To determine the best and worst states to make a living this year, personal finance site MoneyRates.com considered average wages, taxes, cost of living, unemployment rate, and incidents of workplace safety incidents (including illness, injuries, and deaths) for each state. The study drew on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), and D.C. think tank the Tax Foundation.

Washington state cedes its lead this year to Texas which moves out of second place to claim the title of the best state to make a living this year. Texans benefited from a lower than average cost of living that helped them maximize average wages only slightly above average. Very low numbers of workplace safety incidents coupled with no income tax puts the Lone Star State on top, while Washington moves to second place.
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Low cost of living makes a big difference and Texas has some of the lowest housing prices in the country because it does not have the kind of restrictions on building you see in blue states.