Quality of life is a major factor in where Americans choose to work, live and make major purchases including homes. These states are the nation's worst.
I used pods to move from California to SC because I can work remotely, get paid a CA wage, could afford a house for the first time, while living close to family in SC.
Covid lockdowns in big cities made them feel much smaller and that started to feel a little claustrophobic- living in a tiny apartment, not really leaving that much. At least there’s more room to stretch out in smaller cities, but now that things are seemingly going back to normal (not that I think SC had any shifts in that aspect to begin with), I’d much rather be somewhere that doesn’t feel so hostile.
That being said, after a couple years of being here the vibes here are bad and I intend on moving possibly to Minneapolis as soon as I can.