Keller: Is Massachusetts really the best state to live in?
The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller's, not those of WBZ, CBS News or Paramount Global.
BOSTON - The Healey administration is celebrating after the financial website WalletHub named Massachusetts the nation's best state to live in.
But is that victory lap justified? The honor may be less than meets the eye.
"Best State to Live In if You're Well Off"
The ranking triggered a virtual duck-boat parade via a Healey press release full of self-congratulation by the governor, lieutenant governor, and no less than 11 cabinet members. But while our beloved home state won top scores on education, health care and overall quality of life, with a ranking of 44th out of 50 in affordability, the headline should have read: "Best State to Live In if You're Well Off."
"Massachusetts is great if you have the income for it," noted Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute. "But the income that you need for Massachusetts to be great? It keeps on going up."
It helps to be young, too, as we ranked just 16th in WalletHub's Best Places to Retire ranking.
"You have to take these [surveys] with more than a grain of salt," said David H. Freedman, author of a critical book about expert advice, "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us." "Massachusetts is losing more residents - and more residents say they're thinking of moving - than almost any other state. And that tells you something right there. So I think it's a great place to live. I'm very aware that a lot of people just can't afford it. And if that matters to you, you're not gonna rank Massachusetts that highly."
What metrics does the study use?
And that puts Healey's celebration of the ranking in perspective.
"It gives it, I think, way, way too much weight," said Freedman. "On the other hand, how surprising is it that politicians when they see this kind of thing, especially on a national stage, get this kind of publicity, you're grabbing, you're running with it."
It seems like there's another one of these online studies every day. And to assess them, you've got to look at the fine print. For instance, WalletHub gave extra weight to metrics like access to public transit, without assessing how reliable that transit it, and fitness centers per capita, without weighing the cost of using one.
However, there was one factor they missed that could have pushed our rating even higher - sports championships. Now that's worth firing up the duck boats for.