Indianapolis was ranked No. 38 in WalletHub’s list of the 2025 best state capitals to live in. The list was compiled by measuring affordability, economic well-being, quality of education and health and quality of life, then finding each state’s weighted average across metrics. Photo from Getty Images.

News Release

MIAMI — With the 2024 election bringing new leadership, and thus new financial and social policies to many state capitals, the personal finance website WalletHub released its report on 2025’s best state capitals to live in, as well as expert commentary.

“A state’s capital city is more than just the seat of its government — it’s also often the center of its economic activity,” said Chip Lupo, WalletHub analyst.

WalletHub compared all 50 state capitals across 48 key metrics, ranging from the cost of living to K-12 school-system quality to the number of attractions. The organization then found each state capital’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its “State Capital Index” and used the resulting indexes to rank-order the states.

Best Versus Worst

Concord, N.H. has the lowest violent-crime rate per 1,000 residents — 11.5 times lower than Little Rock, Ark., the city with the highest rate.

Austin, Texas. has the highest median household income adjusted for cost of living — 2.1 times higher than Hartford, Conn., the city with the lowest.

Montpelier, Vt., has the highest share of adults ages 25 and up with at least a bachelor’s degree — 4.2 times higher than Trenton, N.J., the city with the lowest.

Indianapolis was listed No. 38, with its ‘Quality of Education and Health’ rank at No. 46. The Hoosier capital had a State Capital Index of 47.36, an ‘Affordability’ rank of 19 and an ‘Economic Well-Being’ rank of 30.

To view the full report and every city’s rank, visit WalletHub’s website.