Republican Governors Denounce CNBC Quality of Life Rankings

CNBC released its 2026 America’s Top States for Business rankings, introducing a quality of life category based on healthcare access, crime rates, environmental quality, worker protections, and civil rights laws. The study identified 10 Republican-led states as the worst for quality of life, with Tennessee ranking lowest due to high violent crime, drug-death rates, and laws restricting transgender bathroom access. Texas ranked second worst, cited specifically for its high rate of uninsured residents.

Ron DeSantis and other conservative leaders condemned the findings as biased. Governor DeSantis and Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt argued that the data is contradicted by migration trends, noting that many of the listed states saw population increases in 2025 while Democratic-led states like California and New York saw losses. U.S. Representative Lance Gooden and Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton also criticized the metrics, with Fitton specifically targeting the inclusion of reproductive rights and anti-discrimination protections in the scoring.

Texas officials rejected the report, with Press Secretary Andrew Mahaleris describing the ranking as flawed. Despite the quality of life score, Texas remained in the top ten for overall business friendliness. Meanwhile, the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom highlighted the partisan alignment of the bottom ten states. Tennessee's low score was further attributed to Governor Bill Lee's designation of June as Nuclear Family Month.