Quality of Life

California vs Texas: Livability Score

California has a higher livability score than Texas.

California flag
California
CA · West
Winner
50.49
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).
Texas flag
Texas
TX · South
47.21
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Visual comparison

California50.49
Texas47.21

Difference: 3.28 points — California leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

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

California #32 · 50.49
Texas #38 · 47.21
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
#32 California flag California
50.49
#38 Texas flag Texas
47.21

California ranks 32nd and Texas ranks 38th nationally for livability score.

Related context

What Drives the Score

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

MetricCaliforniaTexas
Cost of Living Index 138.5 94.3 Median Household Income $84,097 $66,963 Life Expectancy 79.2 yrs 76.2 yrs Violent Crime / 100k 499.5 431.8 Unemployment Rate 5.5% 4.3% Sunny Days / Year 146 days 135 days

What this means

California vs Texas: Livability Score in context

California's livability score is 50.49, compared with 47.21 in Texas. Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

California
50.49
Texas
47.21
Difference
3.28 points

People also ask

California vs Texas Livability Score — common questions

QWhat is California's livability score?

California's livability score is 50.49.

QWhat is Texas's livability score?

Texas's livability score is 47.21.

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

California has a higher livability score than Texas.

More comparisons: California vs Texas

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

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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.