The definitive American
relocation reference.
Nine million data points. Fifty states. Every tax that matters. Live or Die Here is a non-partisan data publication built for the most consequential decision of your adult life — where to live.
What We Do
Most people choose a state based on where they grew up, where a job is, or where someone they love lives. Rarely on the actual numbers — because finding those numbers takes weeks and still leaves gaps.
We built the tool we wished existed: every meaningful dimension of state-level life in one place, updated continuously from primary government sources, presented without editorial spin.
The interactive map scores all 50 states — and thousands of counties — against your personal priorities. Income tax. Property tax. Gun laws. Crime. Life expectancy. School quality. Days of sunshine. The weight of each factor is yours to set.
We don't tell you where to live. We give you the data to decide for yourself.
The Data
All data is sourced from free public datasets — Census Bureau, CDC, federal agencies, and open research organizations. Nothing is paywalled. Nothing is estimated. Every value traces to a primary source.
U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-Year)
Income, housing, poverty, demographics
8.85M
records
2022
vintage
County Health Rankings
Life expectancy, obesity, uninsured rates, air quality
98K
records
2024
vintage
CDC PLACES
22 county-level health measures
62K
records
2023
vintage
Redfin Market Tracker
Days on market, sale-to-list ratio, inventory
10.8K
records
Weekly
vintage
Zillow Research
Home value index, for-sale inventory, price cuts
11.6K
records
Monthly
vintage
MIT Election Lab / MEDSL
2024 presidential county margins
3.1K
records
2024
vintage
HUD Fair Market Rents
Rental costs by bedroom type
2.5K
records
2026
vintage
BLS Labor Statistics
State unemployment rates
52
records
2025
vintage
CMS Hospital Compare
Hospital quality star ratings
100
records
2024
vintage
NCES Common Core of Data
Per-pupil spending, grad rates, pupil-teacher ratio
150
records
2023
vintage
Data is managed by DataSpine, the Artists & Robots geographic intelligence API — 9M+ data points across 331,007 geographies.
Advertise With Us
Our readers are actively deciding where to move, retire, or buy a home. That makes them in-market for mortgages, real estate services, financial planning, insurance, and relocation logistics — at the moment they're ready to act.
We work with partners whose products genuinely serve people making major life decisions. No spray-and-pray. Placements are contextual and editorial-first.
Mortgage lenders & brokers
Real estate platforms
Financial advisors & planning tools
Moving & relocation services
Home & renters insurance
State-specific legal services
Custom Data Requests
Need a custom dataset? We can pull bespoke state and county comparisons from our geographic intelligence layer — income distributions, health outcomes, housing cost indices, political lean scores, and more — matched to your exact use case.
We work with journalists, researchers, real estate analysts, HR teams benchmarking relocation packages, and businesses evaluating new markets.
Journalists & newsrooms
Academic researchers
Corporate site selection teams
Real estate & investment analysts
HR & talent mobility teams
Developers via DataSpine API
Developer? DataSpine API →
Editorial Team
Dana Mercer
Tax Research EditorFormer licensed CPA who spent eight years in state and local tax consulting before moving to data journalism. Dana specializes in translating tax code into real decisions — where to live, how to structure retirement, and what the effective rate actually costs you. She has advised clients in 14 states on domicile strategy.
Covers: Taxes
Marcus Webb
Relocation Intelligence EditorEx-residential real estate analyst with a decade tracking migration data across the Sun Belt and Mountain West. Marcus left the industry to write about it when he realized most relocation guides were written by people who had never moved. He has lived in seven states and counting.
Covers: Relocation · Crime & Safety
Sonia Varga
Policy & Lifestyle EditorSpent six years as a policy reporter covering state legislatures before joining Live or Die Here. Sonia tracks the laws that shape daily life — gun regulations, reproductive rights, labor protections, and the political shifts that change them. She reads primary legislation so readers don't have to.
Covers: Policy & Lifestyle
Cal Hendricks
Health & Environment EditorFormer public health researcher who spent five years analyzing county-level health outcomes at a university policy center. Cal now applies that rigor to questions about where Americans can expect the longest lives, best-funded schools, and lowest exposure to natural disaster risk.
Covers: Schools · Climate & Environment · Healthcare
Editorial Standards
Live or Die Here publishes data-driven analysis of state-level taxes, laws, and cost of living. All statistics are sourced from government datasets, academic research, or authoritative third-party sources and are current as of publication date. Posts are updated when material facts change. We do not accept sponsored content or affiliate placement that influences editorial coverage. Data carries inherent limitations — always consult a licensed professional before making relocation or financial decisions.