Massachusetts vs Washington
Twenty measures that tend to decide a move, side by side. Every figure is the same one the map shows, from the same source.
Massachusetts comes out ahead on 7 of them and Washington on 8, but that tally is not a recommendation: it weighs a difference in class size the same as a difference in house price. Read the rows that matter to you.
MeasureMassachusettsWashington
Home price$672,867$603,303
Rent paid$1,788$1,712
Cost of living141.2114.1
Income$104,828$99,389
Property tax1.00%0.75%
Income tax9.00%0.00%
Sales tax6.25%9.57%
Electric bill$183$130
Temperature50.1°F50°F
Snowfall29.5 in5.4 in
Precipitation42.1 in56.5 in
Sunshine3.82 kWh/m²3.56 kWh/m²
Students per teacher12.018.3
Bachelor's or higher48.3%41.0%
Crime rate315326
Commute30.6 min27.2 min
Unemployment4.4%5.2%
Population change+1.7%+3.8%
Wildfire risk51.074.2
Flood risk94.791.4
Bold marks the better figure where a measure has a better direction. Weather, snowfall and rainfall are shown plain, because warmer is not better — it is a preference.