These are America’s 10 best states to live and work in for 2023, and there are some notable omissions

Good help is hard to find. In fact, these days almost any help is hard to find.

“You’re seeing a confluence of factors that make this a unique point in history,” said Josh Wright, an executive vice president at labor market data firm Lightcast.

Older workers are retiring with fewer younger people in the population to replace them. The U.S. has roughly twice as many job openings as there are workers to fill them. And because this is as much a demographic phenomenon as an economic one, Wright said workers shortages are now here to stay.

“I think it’s only going to become worse over time in certain regions,” he said.

But an increasing number of states see this as an opening. They are pitching their quality of life as a reason companies should locate there.

“(A) quality of life that inspires people to build their business, families and lives here,” one state economic development website promises.

“Meet our people. See our work ethic. Experience our good life,” says another.

But only a handful of states are truly delivering on their promises.

Life, Health and Inclusion is among the ten categories of competitiveness in CNBC’s annual America’s Top States for Business study, and under this year’s methodology, it is increasingly important in a state’s overall ranking.

We use hard data to measure factors including crime, environmental quality, health care and childcare in every state. We consider anti-discrimination laws and worker protections. And with surveys showing a significant percentage of women factoring reproductive rights into where they are willing to live, state abortion laws are a new metric in 2023.

The study shows that some states are falling short — America’s Worst States to Live and Work in. But these ten states are America’s best places to live and work in 2023.

Connecticut residents enjoy some of the best health care in the nation, and it shows….