NATIONWIDE — Our nation’s capital is the No. 1 best place for millenials, and it’s not for affordability. New Mexico took the 51st slot, making it the worst.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine where this generational has thrived and struggled. Surveyors examined each state and the District across 30 key metrics, ranging from share of millennials to millennial unemployment rate to millennial voter-turnout rate.

Who is considered a millennial?

Pew Research Center identified anyone born between 1981 and 1996 — ages 22-37 in 2018 — to be considered a millennial, and anyone born from 1997 onward will be part of a new generation.

Why D.C.?

According to the survey, the nation’s capital is home to the highest share of millennials, comprising nearly 35 percent of their total workforce. And while D.C. is among the least affordable places to live, coming in at 43rd place out of 51 on the list, the high cost of living evens it out by being number one for Education & Health, Quality of LIfe and Civic Engagement. 

What makes New Mexico the worst?

New Mexico, according to the survey, due to low marks in Economic Health (49th place), Quality of Life (48th place) and Education & Health (43rd place). It also maintains the second highest unemployment rate after Alaska.

Top 10 states for millennials

  1. District of Columbia
  2. North Dakota
  3. Minnesota
  4. Massachusetts
  5. Iowa
  6. Wisconsin
  7. Utah
  8. Nebraska
  9. Colorado
  10. South Dakota

10 worst states for millennials

  1. New Mexico
  2. West Virginia
  3. Mississippi
  4. Nevada
  5. Alabama
  6. Louisiana
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Arkansas
  9. South Carolina
  10. Florida
Source: WalletHub