Of the top 10, six states are located in the Northeastern region of the United States.
A new study has revealed that the American Dream is alive and well in the northeast, with the Garden State, New Jersey, giving its residents the best chance of living the American Dream according to the data.
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The research from DuelBits analyzed all 50 US states across seven factors that are traditionally associated with the American Dream. These include: home ownership, college education, average salary, foreign-born residents, vehicle ownership, average debt, and life expectancy. This created an index ranking, listing each state in order from best to worst in terms of how likely they are to make the American Dream come true.
The results revealed that New Jersey gives you the best chance of living the American Dream, as the Garden State claimed a score of 8.72 out of 10. New Jersey has the highest percentage of its population born outside of the United States in the nation, at 25 percent. New Jerseyans also have the joint fourth-highest life expectancy in America, with residents living on average until 79.
Jersey guys and girls are also more likely to receive a college education, with 42.9 percent of the state population attending college, the third highest in America. With New Jersey being a popular state for New York City and Philadelphia commuters, it might come as no surprise that it ranks third-lowest in vehicle ownership at 917.55 vehicles per 1,000 residents.
However, 63.9 percent of New Jersey residents own their homes, which is significantly higher than in their close neighbor, New York (54.3 percent).
New York Ranks 6th for Living the American Dream
Of the top 10, six states are located in the Northeastern region of the United States. These include: New Jersey (1st), Massachusetts (2nd), Connecticut (3rd), Vermont (4th), New York (6th), and New Hampshire (9th).
On the other end of the scale, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas ranked as the states giving you the lowest chance of living the American Dream.
The Top 10 States That Give You the Highest Chance of Living the American Dream:
Rank
State
Home Ownership %
College %
Salary $
Foreign Born Residents %
Vehicles Per 1,000
Average Debt per resident
Life Expectancy
Total Score
1
New Jersey
63.9
42.9
76,320
25
917.55
109,831
79
8.72
2
Massachusetts
62.4
46.6
83,050
18.8
1046.3
130,772
79.6
8.66
3
Connecticut
66.7
41.9
76,050
15.9
1068.29
110,272
79.2
8.49
4
Vermont
73.2
42.6
66,330
4.5
1310.68
89,972
78.4
8.29
5
Minnesota
71.6
38.8
68,880
9
1364.28
105,918
78.8
8.18
6
New York
54.3
39.6
80,630
23.3
762.36
93,760
79
8.17
7
Maryland
67.8
42.7
76,130
17.1
1089.41
128,998
77.2
8.13
8
Illinois
67.6
37.2
69,020
15.4
1232.07
87,090
77.1
8.11
9
New Hampshire
72.6
39.8
68,800
5.9
1208.79
107,965
78.5
7.97
10
Virginia
67.1
41.5
72,060
13.6
1288.34
126,747
76.1
7.78
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