Best Overall Counties

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

The Best Overall ranking represents our most comprehensive baseline assessment of county quality. Each county's composite score is calculated as a weighted average across up to nine percentile-ranked dimensions — property taxes, cost of living, household income, public safety, healthcare access, school quality, natural disaster risk, water quality, and weather comfort. Specialized signals such as soil, lawn care, and farmers markets do not change the baseline composite. 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	84.6	95.1	73.7	88
2	Loup County, Nebraska	83.9	59.1	78.3	65.9
3	Petroleum County, Montana	80.9	72.1	72.8	34.5
4	Slope County, North Dakota	80	99.6	93.2	64.6
5	Wheeler County, Nebraska	77.8	51	94.3	62.4
6	Pendleton County, West Virginia	77.2	96.1	86.4	47.9
7	Judith Basin County, Montana	76.5	89.4	85.5	31
8	Thomas County, Nebraska	76.5	21.5	91.6	48
9	Pleasants County, West Virginia	76.5	79.3	87.8	36.4
10	Nuckolls County, Nebraska	76.2	24.5	92.1	70.8
11	Wayne County, Utah	75.8	96.4	68.5	76.4
12	Bath County, Virginia	75.8	94.2	77.8	23.7
13	Burke County, North Dakota	75.2	80.2	81.3	91.3
14	Fallon County, Montana	75.1	84.3	64	75.7
15	Lake of the Woods County, Minnesota	74.9	65.5	45.8	77.9
16	Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota	74.8	43	70.8	72.1
17	Gilmer County, West Virginia	73.9	84.9	89.3	8.7
18	Rich County, Utah	73.8	99.3	64.1	80.2
19	McCone County, Montana	73.7	63.1	85.7	60.4
20	Red Lake County, Minnesota	73.3	35.6	73.7	77.1
21	Monroe County, West Virginia	73.1	87.7	89.3	25.1
22	Dundy County, Nebraska	73	50.7	88.9	30.7
23	Treasure County, Montana	72.9	73.3	57.3	57.1
24	Oliver County, North Dakota	72.9	69.1	65.1	77.3
25	Steele County, North Dakota	72.8	34.6	76.2	77.8
26	Buffalo County, South Dakota	72.8	93.2	99.3	7.9
27	Bland County, Virginia	72.8	77.7	96.5	37.6
28	Cumberland County, Kentucky	72.7	79.9	98	2.3
29	Elliott County, Kentucky	72.7	70.8	87.2	6.4
30	Pershing County, Nevada	72.7	69.8	66.8	54.1
31	Rockcastle County, Kentucky	72.4	85.8	93.8	9.8
32	Divide County, North Dakota	72.4	72.3	55.6	91.5
33	Mineral County, Colorado	72.2	95.9	51.4	23.8
34	Hardin County, Illinois	72.1	38.7	94.9	19.9
35	Hand County, South Dakota	71.9	44.1	77.7	72.6
36	Sully County, South Dakota	71.9	47.7	59.1	67.9
37	Gosper County, Nebraska	71.8	31.8	81.4	77.8
38	Crockett County, Texas	71.8	97	98.9	82.8
39	Grant County, Nebraska	71.7	62.5	63.3	62.2
40	Nelson County, North Dakota	71.7	55.4	87.8	55.1
41	Wahkiakum County, Washington	71.7	71.8	62.5	41.7
42	Golden Valley County, North Dakota	71.6	43.8	93.6	57.4
43	Wolfe County, Kentucky	71.5	78.8	99.3	0.1
44	Carter County, Montana	71.4	88.7	78.2	19.7
45	Murray County, Minnesota	71.3	51.2	58.8	71.2
46	Kidder County, North Dakota	71.3	74.8	73.3	49.7
47	Lincoln County, Nevada	71.2	83.1	50.5	67.4
48	Nemaha County, Kansas	71.1	39	66.2	77.5
49	Rock County, Nebraska	71.1	30.4	90	28.3
50	Jackson County, Minnesota	70.9	41	61.3	74.8
51	Fillmore County, Nebraska	70.9	36.9	79.3	75.8
52	Harding County, South Dakota	70.9	27.4	77.6	82
53	Warren County, Indiana	70.8	84	51.2	84.3
54	Clinton County, Kentucky	70.8	82.1	94.5	5.5
55	Daggett County, Utah	70.7	88	51.3	51
56	Grant County, West Virginia	70.7	97.9	91	40.8
57	Martin County, Indiana	70.6	79.3	80.1	58.9
58	Keweenaw County, Michigan	70.6	36.1	81.7	16.5
59	Brooke County, West Virginia	70.6	81	91.3	19.9
60	Rock County, Minnesota	70.5	59.3	62.3	64.9
61	Noble County, Ohio	70.5	58	81.6	23.6
62	Tucker County, West Virginia	70.5	94.9	88.6	18.2
63	Presque Isle County, Michigan	70.3	39.9	82	31.7
64	Assumption Parish, Louisiana	70	95.1	79.2	14.2
65	Butler County, Nebraska	70	28.1	61.5	80.5
66	Griggs County, North Dakota	70	42.2	91.5	38.9
67	Floyd County, Virginia	70	78.1	67	40.3
68	Brown County, Indiana	69.9	90.4	36.7	79.4
69	Marshall County, Minnesota	69.9	50.7	71.8	67.9
70	McHenry County, North Dakota	69.9	65.1	77.6	82.5
71	McCreary County, Kentucky	69.8	66.2	96	0.6
72	Hinsdale County, Colorado	69.7	97.8	20.8	75.2
73	Ida County, Iowa	69.7	25.6	81.8	43.1
74	Powder River County, Montana	69.7	62.6	84.5	54.4
75	Garfield County, Montana	69.6	69.6	77.3	60.9
76	Garden County, Nebraska	69.6	34.9	87.5	3.5
77	Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska	69.5	90.9	63.7	38.2
78	Towns County, Georgia	69.5	96.2	58.4	31.3
79	Kittson County, Minnesota	69.5	41.7	68.5	75.3
80	Faulk County, South Dakota	69.5	69.2	73.8	27.4
81	Clay County, West Virginia	69.5	96	96.3	4
82	Hickman County, Kentucky	69.4	63.4	86.3	36.3
83	Mitchell County, North Carolina	69.4	82.4	76.3	26.9
84	Webster County, West Virginia	69.4	93.4	92.4	4.8
85	Hancock County, Kentucky	69.3	65.1	73.5	49.2
86	McLean County, Kentucky	69.3	67.2	84.7	49.6
87	Robertson County, Kentucky	69.3	79.5	81.5	15
88	Issaquena County, Mississippi	69.3	96.4	98.4	0.2
89	Pickett County, Tennessee	69.3	93	95.3	10
90	Tyler County, West Virginia	69.3	76	88.8	44.9
91	Union County, Indiana	69.2	67	62.4	76.1
92	Winnebago County, Iowa	69.2	18.1	71.7	56.3
93	Worth County, Iowa	69.2	29	65.5	78.6
94	LaSalle Parish, Louisiana	69.2	89.8	79.7	58.6
95	Greenlee County, Arizona	69.1	96.7	96.3	64.5
96	Brown County, Illinois	69.1	10	70	57.1
97	Arthur County, Nebraska	69.1	40.8	62.9	75.7
98	Hayes County, Nebraska	69.1	34.8	85.5	60.1
99	Logan County, Nebraska	69.1	37.7	63.8	71.7
100	Wells County, North Dakota	69.1	37.8	86	51.5

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