How divided are America’s feelings about California?
Ponder a curious poll of 1,000 American adults conducted for Clever Real Estate, which asked about various traits of the 50 states. My trusty spreadsheet’s review of this popularity contest dug into the nation’s love-hate relationship with the Golden State.
For example, the survey took a curious route to gain insight into “desirability” – asking folks to rank states as both “most” and “least” desirable.
Most desirable? California ranked No. 2, behind Florida. Then came Hawaii, Texas, and New York. Each have big economies and/or great vacation spots.
The lowest scores were in Mississippi, Kansas and Nebraska. Need I say more?
However, look what popped up when the question of “least desirable” was asked: conflicted feelings for California.
The Golden State got the No. 1 ranking followed by Alabama, New York, Alaska and Florida. Lowest scores were for North Carolina, New Hampshire, and Montana.
Price points
A somewhat more logical split was found in the rankings on twin questions about affordability.
California ranked No. 3 as a place for a relocation with “an unlimited budget” – trailing Hawaii and Florida. The lowest scores were in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
But if you’re financially struggling, a move to California ranked 42nd best. Can’t argue with that, considering the Golden State’s lofty cost of living.
Top bargains were Alabama, Arkansas and West Virginia. Worst? Massachusetts, Hawaii and New Jersey.
Other grades
California was also poorly graded as a “most underrated” state with a No. 43 ranking.
To score well, size mattered, as in small populations. Tops were Vermont, Wyoming and Maine. Worst rankings had less of a theme: Mississippi, New York and Louisiana.
Two other poll questions were harder to define if they were tracking good or bad traits.
“Most boring” could mean dull or peaceful. California ranked a mid-range No. 29.
Iowa, Idaho and Wyoming were the most boring. The least were Hawaii, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
And, finally, there’s the “quirkiest residents” grades. Quirky could be a positive or a negative, depending on one’s tolerance for the out-of-the-ordinary.
California ranked No. 1, ahead of Alaska, New York, Utah and Oregon. Least quirky? North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland.
Final score
California got very divergent grades.
Six of its rankings fell within the top or bottom 10 among the seven questions. That tied North Carolina for the most extreme grades.
Six states had five extreme rankings: Florida, New York, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and North Dakota.
Or ponder a geeky “standard deviation” stat that tracks volatility. Only three states had wilder deviations in their poll rankings than California: New York, North Carolina and Mississippi.
Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at jlansner@scng.com
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