Our Methodologies to create HOMEiA Score Ratings for Each Group of Content

Deciding where to call home is one of life’s biggest choices, impacting your finances, career, and quality of life. To move beyond short-term trends, HOMEiA uses a consistent, data-driven methodology to rate U.S. states and cities on long-term livability and financial sustainability. This approach synthesizes data from reputable sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, Zillow, etc. Whether you prioritize a career-boosting locale or a financially sound remote setup, the HOMEiA Score provides a strategic framework to make a confident and informed decision.

I. How We Analyze Life, Affordability & Relocation in Each U.S. State

To help readers decide whether a U.S. state is the right place to call home, HOMEiA applies a consistent, data-driven methodology across our state living, relocation, best places to live, and affordability rankings. This approach ensures that each recommendation reflects long-term livability, financial sustainability, and community value rather than short-term trends or marketing narratives.

Our multi-factor evaluation draws from 2025 data and reputable national and state sources including the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Zillow Housing Market Data, Tax Foundation, FBI Crime Data, along with state and local economic and community agencies. This methodology underpins our articles on state cost of living, relocation planning, pros and cons, best places to live, and affordability rankings.

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We assess each state and its cities using a unified weighted scoring framework built on five core criteria:

1. Housing & Affordability (30%): Because housing cost is the single largest household expense, we analyze:

1. Median home values & rent levels
2. Home-price-to-income and income-to-rent ratios
3. Property tax implications and insurance considerations
4. Housing market trends influencing long-term financial value

This category is a key component across both our Cost of Living and Most Affordable Cities rankings.

2. Cost of Daily Living (25%): Beyond housing, residents must balance recurring expenses. We evaluate:

1. Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare
2. Statewide and regional cost differences
3. Real purchasing power relative to the national average

Doing so ensures affordability is measured based on total lifestyle cost, not low housing prices.

3. Access & Infrastructure (20%): Livability is contingent upon access to essential services and connectivity. We examine:

1. Proximity to hospitals, schools, and retail needs
2. Public transit availability, road connectivity, and airport access
3. Broadband and internet reliability, especially relevant for remote workers

This criterion helps distinguish communities with low costs but limited infrastructure from those supporting long-term stability.

4. Community, Safety & Quality of Life (15%): We evaluate both measurable and intangible factors influencing daily life:

1. Public safety and crime indicators
2. Educational options—public, private, charter, and higher education
3. Cultural, recreational, and outdoor amenities
4. Local community engagement and lifestyle fit

This category reflects non-financial values making a place worth living.

5. Economic Resilience & Job Market (10%): While affordability matters, residents also need economic opportunity. We assess:

1. Major employers and industry strength
2. Median household income and wage competitiveness
3. Unemployment trends and economic diversity

This helps readers understand each state’s long-term economic outlook and relocation risk.

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Data Sources & Verification: Data may include:

We cross-reference multiple sources to reduce distortions from outdated or incomplete data.

How This Methodology Helps Readers

This evaluation process allows individuals and families to:

1. Compare states and cities with consistent scoring
2. Plan financially sound relocation and retirement moves
3. Avoid surprises by understanding trade-offs and hidden costs
4. Choose places that match their lifestyle, budget, and values

Whether readers are seeking affordability, outdoor living, career growth, retirement benefits, or family-friendly communities, our methodology empowers people to make confident and informed decisions.

II. The HOMEiA Employment Opportunity Score

The HOMEiA Employment Opportunity Score is our proprietary, weighted system (scored out of 100) evaluating how attractive a city is for job seekers, career builders, and employers looking to expand. While flashy hiring numbers make headlines, our approach is designed to highlight sustainable job markets—places where professionals can not only get hired, but build long-term financial and career trajectory.

This methodology synthesizes insights from federal labor sources, local economic development data, hiring platform trends, corporate investment announcements, and cost-of-living indicators. Each location is evaluated across five core factors:

1. Why This Score Matters: Rather than ranking cities on raw job counts alone, the HOMEiA Employment Opportunity Score reveals where career growth is most viable by focusing on:

1. Sustainability over short-lived hiring surges
2. Real purchasing power, not just headline salaries
3. Economic resilience rooted in diverse, future-focused industries
4. Strategic mobility for remote, hybrid, and on-site professionals

2. Data Sources Used: We aggregate insights from

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
2. Local and state economic development councils
3. Job posting analytics from LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor
4. Corporate investment and expansion announcements
5. Cost-of-living and housing affordability datasets
6. And more…

3. Who This Score Helps: This scoring model is designed to support

The Bottom Line: Whether you’re pursuing a higher salary, looking to break into a fast-growing industry, or seeking an affordable market with desirable career mobility, the HOMEiA Employment Opportunity Score serves as a strategic decision-making tool—helping you choose not where to work, but where to thrive.

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III. The HOMEiA Score for Remote Work

The HOMEiA Score is a proprietary weighted index (out of 100 points) used across our remote-work research for evaluating cities and states regarding long-term livability, work productivity, and financial value relevant to remote professionals. It enables readers to compare locations with clarity, prioritizing the foundations of successful remote work instead of hype, tourism appeal, or short-term trends.

While each article applies this methodology to a specific topic—best cities, relocation incentives, tax-advantage states, or step-by-step moving decisions—the score consistently reflects our core criteria. High HOMEiA Scores signal  locations where remote workers are more likely to thrive, not only work.

The score is calculated using five weighted factors:

1. Housing & Affordability (25%): We evaluate a location’s true cost of living and access to stable housing, including:

1. Median rents and home prices
2. Price-to-income ratios
3. Property tax implications and insurance requirements (especially in tax-advantaged states)
4. Market trends affecting long-term value (appreciation, days on market)

This ensures remote workers’ dollars go further while building financial security.

2. Internet Speed, Access & Infrastructure (25%): Internet reliability is the non-negotiable foundation of remote work. We analyze:

1. Average download and upload speeds
2. Fiber availability and provider competition
3. Broadband stability and coverage at the neighborhood level

Elite locations typically provide multi-gigabit fiber access and commendable provider competition, minimizing downtime risk.

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3. Cost of Living (20%): This measures everyday spending power, including:

1. Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare costs
2. Local tax impacts and hidden expenses
3. Affordability advantages relative to major job markets

This allows for lifestyle quality without financial strain.

4. Coworking, Community & Safety (20%): Remote work requires social architecture—not merely a laptop and Wi-Fi. We examine:

1. Density and quality of coworking spaces
2. Community engagement and networking opportunities
3. Public safety indicators and overall well-being

High scores indicate reduced isolation and elite professional + social support.

5. Economic Resilience & Opportunity (10%): Because careers evolve, we assess

1. Market diversity and employment stability
2. Business and startup environments
3. Tax efficiency and long-term economic outlook

This ensures remote professionals are positioned for future growth—not only immediate savings.

Why This Methodology Matters

Remote work is more than working from anywhere—it is the ability to choose a life you wouldn’t trade, supported by infrastructure keeping one productive and communities that help generate a sense of belonging. By applying the HOMEiA Score consistently, our guides help you:

1. Compare cities and states with confidence
2. Avoid costly relocation mistakes
3. Identify long-term financial advantages (not just short-term incentives)
4. Select a location aligned with your lifestyle, family, and career vision

Whether you’re looking for the best cities for remote work, exploring cash-incentive relocation programs, considering a move to a no-income-tax state, or following a remote-relocation checklist, the HOMEiA Score provides a strategic framework for making one of life’s most consequential decisions.

Overall, as HOMEiA.com grows, we will cover more topics and will put together a HOMEiA Score rating that fits each new category of topic we publish. If you find our content and analysis helpful, please share our content with others. Thanks in advance.