Livability Score Comparison
Quality of Life

Maryland vs Virginia: Livability Score

Virginia has a higher livability score than Maryland.

Maryland flag
Maryland
MD • South
49.79
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).
Virginia flag
Virginia
VA • South
Winner
56.18
Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Visual Comparison

Maryland 49.79
Virginia 56.18

Difference: 6.39 points — Virginia leads.

National Rankings

Where They Rank Nationally

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

Maryland #34 · 49.79
Virginia #14 · 56.18
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
#34 Maryland flag Maryland
49.79
#14 Virginia flag Virginia
56.18

Maryland ranks 34th and Virginia ranks 14th 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

Maryland vs Virginia: Livability Score in context

Virginia has a livability score of 56.18, compared with 49.79 in Maryland, a gap of 12.8%. Best States to Live In total score (August 11, 2025).

Maryland
49.79
Virginia
56.18
Difference
6.39 points

People Also Ask

Maryland vs Virginia Livability Score — Common Questions

Q What is Maryland's livability score?

Maryland's livability score is 49.79.

Q What is Virginia's livability score?

Virginia's livability score is 56.18.

Q Which state has a higher livability score — Maryland or Virginia?

Virginia has a higher livability score than Maryland.

Sources: Core demographic data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census, with land area from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER files. Income, housing, affordability, and tax fields are maintained in our comparison dataset; purchasing-power figures use BEA Regional Price Parities. Minimum wage data comes from the U.S. Department of Labor, gas prices from AAA, and electricity rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Political control and election fields use 2024 presidential results together with National Conference of State Legislatures data. Gun-law labels use the Giffords scorecard, alcohol system data comes from NABCA, and marijuana status uses NCSL's state cannabis laws tracker.