Quality of Life

Arizona vs California: Livability Score

Arizona has a higher livability score than California.

Arizona flag
Arizona
AZ · West
Winner
51.01
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).
California flag
California
CA · West
50.49
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Visual comparison

Arizona51.01
California50.49

Difference: 0.52 points — Arizona leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

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

Arizona #31 · 51.01
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
#31 Arizona flag Arizona
51.01
#32 California flag California
50.49

Arizona ranks 31st 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.

MetricArizonaCalifornia
Cost of Living Index 103.1 138.5 Median Household Income $72,581 $84,097 Life Expectancy 76.6 yrs 79.2 yrs Violent Crime / 100k 473.4 499.5 Unemployment Rate 4.3% 5.5% Sunny Days / Year 193 days 146 days

What this means

Arizona vs California: Livability Score in context

Arizona's livability score is 51.01, compared with 50.49 in California. Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Arizona
51.01
California
50.49
Difference
0.52 points

People also ask

Arizona vs California Livability Score — common questions

QWhat is Arizona's livability score?

Arizona's livability score is 51.01.

QWhat is California's livability score?

California's livability score is 50.49.

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

Arizona has a higher livability score than California.

More comparisons: Arizona vs California

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

Full comparison
Best State to Live In Cost of Living Gas Price Gas Tax Electricity Rates Commute Time Car Insurance Cost Average Credit Score

Explore each state

Arizona symbols California symbols Compare other states

Data source and freshness

Primary source
WalletHub — Best States to Live In
Data period
2025 comparison
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
WalletHub total score incorporated into the comparison dataset.