The free market way of ranking states is looking at housing prices. How much people are willing to pay to live there.
That roughly matches this. People are willing to pay $400K more than average to buy a home in Hawaii, the highest in the nation.
RE: People are willing to pay $400K more than average to buy a home in Hawaii, the highest in the nation.
So, why were people willing to pay millions to live in small apartments in San Francisco and Manhattan?