Quality of Life

Alaska vs California: Livability Score

California has a higher livability score than Alaska.

Alaska flag
Alaska
AK · West
44.17
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).
California flag
California
CA · West
Winner
50.49
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Visual comparison

Alaska44.17
California50.49

Difference: 6.32 points — California leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

See where both states fall among all 50 states for livability score.

Alaska #46 · 44.17
California #32 · 50.49
Lowest Highest

Top 10 States — Livability Score

#1 Massachusetts flag Massachusetts
60.23
#2 Idaho flag Idaho
60.19
#3 New Jersey flag New Jersey
59.81
#4 Wisconsin flag Wisconsin
59.66
#5 Minnesota flag Minnesota
58.69
#6 Florida flag Florida
58.51
#7 New Hampshire flag New Hampshire
58.21
#8 New York flag New York
57.94
#9 Utah flag Utah
57.94
#10 Pennsylvania flag Pennsylvania
57.90
Selected states
#46 Alaska flag Alaska
44.17
#32 California flag California
50.49

Alaska ranks 46th and California ranks 32nd nationally for livability score.

Related context

What Drives the Score

The livability score synthesizes several quality-of-life signals — here are the key inputs.

What this means

Alaska vs California: Livability Score in context

California's livability score is 50.49, compared with 44.17 in Alaska, a gap of 14.3%. Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Alaska
44.17
California
50.49
Difference
6.32 points

People also ask

Alaska vs California Livability Score — common questions

QWhat is Alaska's livability score?

Alaska's livability score is 44.17.

QWhat is California's livability score?

California's livability score is 50.49.

QWhich state has a higher livability score — Alaska or California?

California has a higher livability score than Alaska.

More comparisons: Alaska vs California

Grouped tabs keep the deep-dive links tighter and easier to scan.

Full comparison

Data source and freshness

Data period
2025 comparison
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
WalletHub total score incorporated into the comparison dataset.