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5 worst U.S. states for young adults

(MoneyWatch) If you are a young person just starting out in the working world, you'd be wise to move to the Midwest, according to MoneyRates.com, which just completed an analysis of where the conditions are best for 20-somethings.


The personal finance site ranked states from 1 to 50 based on the unemployment rate for youths ages 20 to 24; the percentage of the population in that age range; the rental vacancy rate; median rental cost; broadband access, nightlife and gyms; and average college costs. The notion is that the best places to live would provide an affordable education and apartment, easy access to health clubs and bars, plenty of people your age to hang with, and the ability to get a job.


North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and Iowa have just the right mixture of those factors to make these states the best in the nation for young people starting out, according to MoneyRates.


However, equally surprising are the list of states that rank as the most miserable for young adults. These five states have both high rents and high unemployment among youths, as well as a relative dearth of nightlife and gyms, not to mention (mostly) miserable Internet connectivity.


What are the five worst states for young adults?

5 worst U.S. states for young adults

flickr user taberandrew

5. West Virginia

Although the cost of renting an apartment is relatively low, averaging $607 a month, the unemployment rate among 20-to 24-year-olds is high at 14.7 percent. The state also ranks dead last in broadband connectivity, which measures the availability of high-speed Internet access based on government data. There are only 62 health clubs per 1 million residents, and about 1,260 bars and nightclubs per million residents.


To put this in perspective, North Dakota, which ranks first in this survey, has a rock-bottom 5.1 percent youth unemployment rate and twice as many health clubs and bars per capita.

5 worst U.S. states for young adults

flickr user mypubliclands

4. Arizona


Just 7.1 percent of the state's residents are between the ages of 20 and 24, but 13.3 percent of those young adults are unemployed. The average cost of a four-year college education is $18,686 in Arizona -- that's about 68 percent more than the cost of a similar education in North Dakota.


Renting an apartment will cost you an average of $888 per month. The state ranks 41st (out of 51) in Internet connectivity, and it has fewer bars and nightclubs per capita than most other states, with just 833 per million residents. Health clubs are also rare, with just 87 for each million residents.

5 worst U.S. states for young adults

Kathy Kristof

3. California


The Golden State traditionally has been considered a Mecca for youth, but if you measure it by MoneyRates' standards it's abysmal. Average rents are incredibly high -- $1,200 a month -- and vacancy rates are low (5.2 percent), so there's little chance that your landlord will feel the need to negotiate. 


The cost of college in California is twice as expensive as it is in North Dakota, with an average annual expense of $22,960. And the unemployment rate among the 20- to 24-year-old set is a eye-popping 15.9 percent. The state's main saving grace is that it's at least got good access to high-speed Internet. California ranks No. 9 in the nation for connectivity, according to MoneyRates

5 worst U.S. states for young adults

flickr user thisreidwrites

2. New Hampshire


Just 6.5 percent of New Hampshire's population is made up of young people between the ages of 20 and 24, and that's probably for the best. The unemployment rate among these youths is 11.6 percent and rent is high, averaging $967 a month.


Internet access? Not so good. The state ranks 31st in the nation for connectivity, according to MoneyRates. Average college costs are among the highest in the nation at $24,498 per year. And there are relatively few bars and nightclubs -- 1,106 per million residents. On the bright side, if you want to work out, the state boasts 150 gyms per million residents, a relatively good per-capita total.

5 worst U.S. states for young adults

flickr user cliff1066

1. Maine


What makes Maine the worst state in the nation for young people? Just 5.9 of the state's population is in that age group, and 12.3 percent of them are unemployed. Rental housing is hard to find, with just a 5.3 percent vacancy rate, although average rents are moderate at $744 per month.


Maine ranks 30th in the nation for Internet connectivity. It has just 1,074 bars and nightclubs per million residents and the cost of a college education there is high -- about $21,050 per year.

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