The opinions expressed below are those of Jon Keller and not of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
BOSTON – The Healey administration is celebrating after financial website WalletHub Massachusetts the best state in the nation for living.
But is this victory lap justified? The honor is perhaps less than it first appears.
“The best state to live in if you are wealthy”
The rankings sparked a virtual amphibious parade, accompanied by a press release from Healey in which the governor, lieutenant governor and no fewer than 11 cabinet members congratulated themselves. But while our beloved home state received top marks in education, healthcare and overall quality of life, and ranked 44th out of 50 in the affordability category, the headline should have read: “The Best State to Live in If You’re Wealthy.”
“Massachusetts is great when you have the revenue,” notes Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute. “But the revenue Massachusetts needs to be great? It’s constantly rising.”
It also helps to be young, as we only rank 16th in WalletHub’s ranking of the best places to retire.
“You have to take these (polls) with more than a pinch of salt,” said David H. Freedman, author of a critical book about expert advice, “Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us.” “Massachusetts is losing more residents — and more residents say they’re thinking about moving — than almost any other state. And that’s saying something. So I think it’s a great place to live. I’m very aware that a lot of people just can’t afford it. And if that’s important to you, you’re not going to rank Massachusetts that highly.”
What criteria does the study use?
And that puts Healey’s joy over the placing into perspective.
“I think that gives this whole thing way, way too much weight,” Freedman said. “On the other hand, it’s surprising that when politicians see something like this, especially at the national level, they get so much attention, they pick it up and run with it.”
It seems like every day there is a new one of these online studies. And to evaluate them, you have to look at the fine print. WalletHub, for example, gave special importance to metrics like access to public transportation without evaluating how reliable that transportation is, and gyms per capita without considering the cost of using one.
However, they overlooked one factor that could have improved our rating even further: sports championships. That’s why it’s worth firing up the duck boats.
Jon Keller
