Best Overall Counties

Top-ranked counties across all dimensions: tax, cost, safety, health, schools, income, risk, and water.

The Best Overall ranking represents our most comprehensive assessment of county quality. Each county's composite score is calculated by averaging its percentile rank across up to nine dimensions — property taxes, cost of living, household income, public safety, healthcare access, school quality, natural disaster risk, water quality, and weather comfort. Counties that rank highest tend to excel across multiple categories rather than dominating a single one. Geographic patterns emerge clearly: suburban counties near major metro areas often score well due to strong schools, high incomes, and good healthcare infrastructure, while rural counties in the Great Plains and Mountain West benefit from low costs, minimal crime, and low disaster risk. No single region monopolizes the top spots — the best counties are distributed across the country, united by consistent performance across all quality-of-life dimensions.

Showing top 100 of 3144 counties with data

#	County	Score	Tax	Cost	Income
1	Billings County, North Dakota	84.1	95.6	71.8	85.1
2	Loup County, Nebraska	81.7	53.4	78.2	39.5
3	Petroleum County, Montana	80.1	60.2	77	36.9
4	Thomas County, Nebraska	78.9	32.1	89	73.3
5	Judith Basin County, Montana	77.5	90.3	91.3	26.1
6	Slope County, North Dakota	77.4	95.2	88.2	46.5
7	Pendleton County, West Virginia	77.1	96.9	85.8	44.3
8	Pleasants County, West Virginia	76	76.4	86.2	42.1
9	Nuckolls County, Nebraska	75.9	21.8	93.8	66.9
10	Steele County, North Dakota	75.8	41.6	84.8	84.1
11	McCone County, Montana	75.3	66.2	88.8	71.1
12	Cameron Parish, Louisiana	75.1	91	77.1	72.5
13	Wheeler County, Nebraska	74.8	44.3	92.8	27.4
14	Harding County, South Dakota	74.8	42.8	86.7	77
15	Lincoln County, Nevada	74.7	81.3	69.5	65.1
16	Bath County, Virginia	74.4	93.6	66.1	44.3
17	Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota	74.3	62.4	48.3	66.5
18	Daggett County, Utah	74.2	87.7	73.3	34.6
19	Oliver County, North Dakota	74.1	71.2	69.2	79.9
20	Gilmer County, West Virginia	73.7	85.1	86	16.7
21	Rich County, Utah	73.3	98.6	62.2	79.8
22	Red Lake County, Minnesota	73.1	41.1	67.5	80.9
23	Dundy County, Nebraska	73.1	51.3	89.2	28.9
24	Monroe County, West Virginia	73	88.2	88.6	24
25	Bland County, Virginia	72.8	80.2	92.8	43.4
26	Rockcastle County, Kentucky	72.7	87.7	93.3	11.7
27	Murray County, Minnesota	72.7	56.1	60.8	76.5
28	Elliott County, Kentucky	72.6	64.3	92.4	2.8
29	Carter County, Montana	72.6	91.1	82.7	18.9
30	Jackson County, Minnesota	72.5	44.2	69.3	66.2
31	Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota	72.5	41.9	60.6	70.4
32	Burke County, North Dakota	72.5	65.1	78.2	94.4
33	Fallon County, Montana	72.4	77.5	56.8	71.8
34	Pershing County, Nevada	72.3	63.6	65.3	71.4
35	Hand County, South Dakota	72.3	45	79.3	71.5
36	Nemaha County, Kansas	72.2	39.8	70.3	80.6
37	Divide County, North Dakota	72.2	74.8	52.8	91.7
38	Hinsdale County, Colorado	72.1	98.5	38.2	51.4
39	Rock County, Nebraska	71.8	36.8	88	31.6
40	Wayne County, Utah	71.8	96.2	50.9	66.5
41	Keweenaw County, Michigan	71.6	42.5	80.4	22.6
42	Nelson County, North Dakota	71.5	53	86.6	62.1
43	Floyd County, Virginia	71.5	83.8	69.4	43.5
44	Crockett County, Texas	71.3	97	95.7	85.6
45	Ida County, Iowa	71.2	33.4	82	47.7
46	Boone County, Nebraska	71.2	36.9	71.3	69.7
47	Harding County, New Mexico	71.2	95.2	91.1	3.6
48	Wolfe County, Kentucky	71	75.4	99.3	0.1
49	LaSalle Parish, Louisiana	70.9	92.6	84	59.2
50	Mitchell County, North Carolina	70.9	85.6	80.2	33
51	Hardin County, Illinois	70.7	26.7	94.1	30.8
52	Warren County, Indiana	70.7	84.3	52.1	76.8
53	Rock County, Minnesota	70.7	60.8	58.1	68.2
54	Brooke County, West Virginia	70.7	81.6	91.2	18.8
55	Tucker County, West Virginia	70.7	96.1	87.5	21.7
56	Doddridge County, West Virginia	70.6	88.9	77.6	42.6
57	Cumberland County, Kentucky	70.5	73	97	2.7
58	Worth County, Iowa	70.4	32.8	68.8	79.8
59	Butler County, Nebraska	70.4	26.9	62.8	86.2
60	LaMoure County, North Dakota	70.4	40.6	83.3	67.3
61	Noble County, Ohio	70.4	54.1	83.3	25.9
62	Martin County, Indiana	70.3	82.8	76.8	55.6
63	Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska	70.2	92.8	63.6	46.5
64	Grant County, West Virginia	70.2	97.1	88.7	43.7
65	Greenlee County, Arizona	70.1	95.9	98.6	77.7
66	Leslie County, Kentucky	70.1	61.2	98.4	2.9
67	Presque Isle County, Michigan	70.1	36.5	84	29.5
68	Emery County, Utah	70.1	76.1	82.6	66.3
69	Clinton County, Kentucky	70	80.7	93.9	4.5
70	Griggs County, North Dakota	70	44.8	86	53.2
71	Sully County, South Dakota	70	48.6	48.8	67.2
72	Golden Valley County, Montana	69.9	84.8	73.1	31.3
73	Clay County, West Virginia	69.9	96.5	97.7	5.1
74	Kidder County, North Dakota	69.8	67.8	72.2	44.7
75	Tyler County, West Virginia	69.8	79.1	91.7	33.7
76	McLean County, Kentucky	69.7	65.9	83	67.8
77	Webster County, West Virginia	69.7	94.4	93.1	4.3
78	Grant County, Nebraska	69.6	57.8	55.9	64.4
79	Brown County, Illinois	69.5	14.3	65.8	71.9
80	Kittson County, Minnesota	69.5	44.1	69.3	65.4
81	Treasure County, Montana	69.5	72.5	36.5	74.1
82	Assumption Parish, Louisiana	69.4	92	77	19.8
83	Fillmore County, Nebraska	69.4	29.2	77.1	79
84	Lincoln County, Minnesota	69.3	40.4	72.8	60.9
85	Garfield County, Nebraska	69.3	15.6	74.1	63.4
86	McHenry County, North Dakota	69.3	67.1	72.8	84.5
87	Mineral County, Colorado	69.2	96	37.4	19.6
88	San Juan County, Colorado	69.1	98.5	40.1	75.3
89	Grundy County, Iowa	69.1	33.2	49.6	87.4
90	McCreary County, Kentucky	69.1	59.4	96.9	1.8
91	Marshall County, Minnesota	69.1	50.5	67.1	70.6
92	Wahkiakum County, Washington	69.1	73.7	46.9	30.6
93	Harlan County, Nebraska	69	28.3	77.8	67.8
94	Pembina County, North Dakota	69	38.1	85.6	58.8
95	Van Buren County, Tennessee	69	93.9	84.9	39.9
96	Grant County, South Dakota	68.9	48.8	67.3	75.2
97	Winnebago County, Iowa	68.8	18.6	71	50.1
98	Trego County, Kansas	68.8	15	82.6	74.7
99	Menifee County, Kentucky	68.8	85.7	95.5	6.9
100	Owsley County, Kentucky	68.8	62.9	98.7	0.3

Data: U.S. Census ACS, FBI UCR, CDC, FEMA NRI, NCES, EPA SDWIS. Scores are 0-100 (higher is better).