The top 15 states for people interested in making a career change

15. New Jersey

New Jersey had the third largest median income and also ranked third for well-being using Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index. However, the Garden State had one of the wider gender pay gaps using earnings data, having the third largest earnings gap among the states.

14. Washington

Washington's relatively large median income contributed to it being one of the better states to change careers, according to BestColleges' analysis. The state ranked seventh for median income and also had a high well-being index using Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index. The state's lowest rank among the seven metrics was its gender pay gap, having the fourth largest earnings gap. 

13. Kansas

Kansas' lower cost of living compared to other states contributed to it being one of the top 15 states to change careers, with the second lowest cost of living among the states. It also had a relatively low unemployment rate, ranking 12th. However, the state had the second lowest year-over-year job growth.

12. Texas

Both Texas' cost of living and its year-over-year job growth ranked 14th, its best ranks among the seven metrics used to find the best states to change careers. The Lone Star state's lowest ranks were its unemployment rate and well-being index, placing at 35 for both of these two categories. 

11. Virginia

Virginia had one of the larger median incomes among the states, ranking 10th. The state had a relatively higher well-being rank and vaccination rate among the states. However, Virginia doesn't have as much year-over-year job growth compared to other states, ranking at 39.

10. Maryland

Maryland had the largest median income among the states based on the 2019 Census data used to come up with the ranking. The state also had one of the better well-being scores and a higher COVID-19 vaccination rate as of September. The state is a relatively more expensive place to live though, placing 44th in the cost of living metric.

9. Rhode Island

Rhode Island is one state seeing large year-over-year job growth, ranking fourth in this metric among the states. The state also ranked fourth for its COVID-19 vaccination rate as of September. However, the Ocean State does have a relatively high cost of living, placing toward the bottom for this metric at 42.

8. Nebraska

Nebraska had the lowest unemployment rate in August. The state's second best score among the seven metrics was for its cost of living, ranking at 17. Its lowest ranking among the seven metrics however was for its year-over-year job growth, where it placed toward the bottom of the rank at 44. 

7. Hawaii

Hawaii had the largest year-over-year job growth according to BestColleges.com's analysis of job data. The state also ranked high for its well-being, placing second in Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index of 2020 used to develop the ranking. However, it can be expensive to live in the state as the state had the highest cost of living.

6. Massachusetts

Among the seven metrics used to calculate the ranking, Massachusetts had the best well-being index from Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index of 2020 used in the ranking. The state also had the second largest median income. However, it can be expensive to live in the state compared to others, placing 47th for its cost of living.

5. Minnesota

Minnesota's best metric among the seven used to calculate the overall score was for its unemployment rate, which ranked 12th. The state's median income is also relatively larger than others, ranking 13th. On the other hand, the state had a higher cost of living than many other states, placing 30th for this metric.

4. Vermont

Vermont had the highest COVID-19 vaccination rate among the states according to September data used by BestColleges to come up with its ranking. The state also ranked second for its narrow gender pay gap and high job growth. However, it placed toward the bottom for its cost of living, placing at 41.

3. Utah

Utah had the second lowest unemployment rate, according to August rates. The state also ranked 10th for both well-being, based on Sharecare's Community Well-Being Index of 2020, and for job growth. Utah's gender pay gap using 2019 earnings data is the largest among the states per the ranking, however.

2. New Hampshire

New Hampshire had the fifth lowest unemployment rate in August. The state also had a larger median income than other states, placing at eighth. However, the cost of living is relatively high, ranking at 37 for this metric.

1. Georgia

Georgia had the sixth lowest cost of living and the ninth lowest unemployment rate, according to BestColleges.com analysis. However, the state also had one of the lower COVID-19 vaccination rates, placing at 42 among the states for this metric based on September data.

Here's how and why BestColleges' came up with its latest ranking

The Great Resignation seems to not be ending soon as over 4 million workers quit their jobs in August, a record high. People are leaving for opportunities that pay more or in search of jobs offering better work-life balance.

Sometimes a career change isn't just a new job, but may also mean moving to a new state for a new opportunity. For those who don't mind if they have to move for their career switch, the new analysis from BestColleges may be a good list to review. 

BestColleges puts together different kinds of college rankings and provides different resources for college students. It also has published different guides and lists about changing careers, such as jobs for teachers considering a change or how to know it's time to make a career switch. 

As Americans continue to re-evaluate what they want from work and if it's time to say goodbye to their current positions, BestColleges decided to figure out what could be the best states for career changes. 

"The team at BestColleges.com wanted to assist individuals who might not know where to begin when considering a career shift coupled with a relocation," Jessica Bryant, education analyst for BestColleges, told Insider in an email. 

To do this, BestColleges used seven metrics from different datasets that may be important to consider when relocating for a career change. Each metric was ranked and given a weight to calculate an overall score for each state. Median income and cost of living were given the largest weights. A lower overall score meant a higher rank and therefore a potentially better state for those looking to change careers.

The following are the seven metrics used by BestColleges and their weights in parentheses:

• Median income using 2019 data from the Census' American Community Survey (25%)
• Cost of living using data from the Council for Community and Economic Research's Cost of Living Index (25%)
• Job growth using year-over-year July data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (15%)
• Unemployment rate as of August 2021 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (15%)
• Gender pay gap using 2019 earnings data from the Census' American Community Survey (10%)
• Well-being using Sharecare's 2020 Community Well-Being Index (5%)
• COVID-19 vaccination rate using September data from the Mayo Clinic (5%) 

"We considered an endless list of metrics to include in our ranking, but ultimately settled on the seven factors most relevant for the current economic landscape," Bryant said. "Potential career switchers should know about the financial, employment, and social circumstances of an area they're considering moving to, and how those combined factors will impact their futures." 

The above slides include information provided by BestColleges to Insider about where each state ranked for each of the seven metrics before they were weighted to calculate the overall score.

Based on the weighted scores, Georgia is the best state for career changers. The full analysis of how each state ranked for career change and more information about the data used can be found on BestColleges.