What exactly do you mean by more developed economies? I’ve lived in four states (Maryland, California, Delaware and Virginia) and spent a fair amount of time (at least a month) in several others. This is a purely a matter of preference, of course, but given the choice I’d much rather spend time in somewhere like North Carolina or Texas than I would in New York City or Boston. Strange how the places that have the most money and development are the more impersonal and difficult to get along in.
Again, I make no pretense that this is objective.
An objective standard- a higher income level per capita. Nothing more.