For many Americans, the income required to comfortably buy a home has moved beyond what the typical household earns.

This map compares each state’s median household income with the estimated income needed to comfortably afford a median-priced home.

The data for this visualization comes from MoneyLion, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Zillow, FRED, and the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center.

Hawaii Has the Largest Homebuying Income Gap

Hawaii has the largest homebuying income gap by a wide margin. Its median household earns $100,389, compared with an estimated $216,442 needed to comfortably buy a median-priced home, creating a $116,053 shortfall.

California ranks second with a gap of $74,928.

Affordability Pressures Extend Beyond the Coasts

Some of the largest affordability gaps appear outside the country’s famously expensive coastal housing markets.

Montana ranks third nationally with a $53,307 shortfall, while Utah, Idaho, and Colorado also record gaps of roughly $30,000 or more.

Several New England states face similarly large differences, including Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

Where Incomes Still Stretch Far Enough

At the other end of the ranking, Illinois has the strongest position, with median household income exceeding the estimated homebuying requirement by $20,002.

West Virginia follows with a surplus of $16,451, while Maryland has a surplus of $13,201.

Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Texas also have median household incomes that clear the estimated affordability threshold.

Still, several states sit right on the edge. Arkansas, Alabama, and Virginia have positive gaps of less than $1,000, suggesting only a slim affordability cushion for the typical household.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed today’s post, check out Ranked: U.S. States With the Widest Wage Gaps on Voronoi.

Depending on where you live, legally mandated paid time off ranges from nine days to 53 days a year.

This visualization compares legally mandated annual leave and paid public holidays across 185 countries in 2025, based on data compiled by Resume.io.

Across the dataset, the global average is 30 days.

Ranked: Paid Vacation Days by Country

This table ranks 185 countries by their combined paid vacation days and public holidays.

Country	Total Paid Vacation Days (2025)
Iran	53
Yemen	45
Bahrain	44
Bhutan	44
Madagascar	43
Niger	43
Togo	43
Azerbaijan	42
Kuwait	42
Mali	42
Peru	42
Russia	42
Turkmenistan	42
Algeria	41
Cote d’Ivoire	41
Equatorial Guinea	41
Georgia	41
Guinea	41
Maldives	41
Panama	41
Djibouti	40
Iceland	40
Cambodia	39
Comoros	39
Moldova	39
Oman	39
Austria	38
Iraq	38
Benin	37
Burkina Faso	37
Central African Republic	37
Kazakhstan	37
France	36
Senegal	36
Spain	36
Ukraine	36
UAE	36
Afghanistan	35
Burundi	35
Republic of the Congo	35
Gabon	35
Latvia	35
Lithuania	35
Luxembourg	35
Portugal	35
Slovakia	35
South Sudan	35
Sweden	35
Zambia	35
Albania	34
Angola	34
Bangladesh	34
Cyprus	34
Denmark	34
Egypt	34
Mauritius	34
Sao Tome and Principe	34
South Africa	34
The Gambia	34
Uganda	34
Belarus	33
Bulgaria	33
Colombia	33
Croatia	33
Poland	33
Romania	33
Seychelles	33
Slovenia	33
Tajikistan	33
Zimbabwe	33
Armenia	32
Cape Verde	32
Czech Republic	32
Italy	32
Kenya	32
Kyrgyzstan	32
North Macedonia	32
Namibia	32
Uruguay	32
Estonia	31
Finland	31
Guyana	31
Hungary	31
Kosovo	31
Nepal	31
New Zealand	31
Norway	31
Saudi Arabia	31
Serbia	31
Tonga	31
Argentina	30
Belgium	30
Bosnia and Herzegovina	30
Guinea-Bissau	30
Jordan	30
Libya	30
Myanmar	30
Sierra Leone	30
South Korea	30
Sri Lanka	30
Ethiopia	29
Germany	29
Ireland	29
Mongolia	29
Netherlands	29
Rwanda	29
Switzerland	29
Timor-Leste	29
Barbados	28
Chad	28
Ghana	28
Haiti	28
Indonesia	28
Montenegro	28
Morocco	28
Pakistan	28
Qatar	28
Sudan	28
Turkey	28
United Kingdom	28
Australia	27
Cameroon	27
Dominican Republic	27
Ecuador	27
Guatemala	27
Malawi	27
Venezuela	27
Bolivia	26
El Salvador	26
Greece	26
Japan	26
Trinidad and Tobago	26
Vanuatu	26
Israel	25
Mauritania	25
Saint Lucia	25
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	25
Somalia	25
Uzbekistan	25
Belize	24
Nicaragua	24
North Korea	24
Paraguay	24
Solomon Islands	24
Eswatini	24
Botswana	23
Costa Rica	23
Laos	23
Papua New Guinea	23
Suriname	23
Syria	23
Vietnam	23
Cuba	22
Eritrea	22
Grenada	22
Honduras	22
Lesotho	22
Palestine	22
Brazil	21
DR Congo	21
Jamaica	21
Liberia	21
Mozambique	21
Bahamas	20
Chile	20
Fiji	20
Samoa	20
Tanzania	20
Canada	19
Malaysia	19
Thailand	19
Brunei	18
India	18
Singapore	18
Tunisia	18
Lebanon	17
Nigeria	17
Philippines	17
Taiwan	17
China	16
Mexico	14
Kiribati	13
U.S.	10
Micronesia	9
World Average	30

Why the U.S. Is Different

At 10 days, the U.S. total is just one-third of the 30-day global average in this dataset.

However, the ranking measures legally mandated time off, not all paid vacation that workers actually receive. U.S. federal law does not require private employers to provide paid vacation, leaving these benefits largely up to employers.

In practice, 80% of private-sector workers had access to paid vacation in 2025. Among workers with one year at their job, 31% received between 10 and 14 vacation days.

The Middle East Ranks High for Paid Time Off

Iran leads the ranking with 53 days of paid leave and public holidays, with its large number of public holidays partly making up for the fewer weekend days associated with its traditional six-day workweek.

The Middle East is heavily represented near the top of the ranking. Yemen has 45 days, Bahrain 44, Kuwait 42, and Oman 39. Because these totals combine statutory annual leave with paid public holidays, countries can reach similar totals through different combinations of the two.

Europe Stands Out for Paid Leave

Europe stands out less for having the highest totals and more for having relatively few countries near the bottom of the ranking.

Most European countries cluster around or above the 30-day global average. Iceland reaches 40 days, while Sweden, Portugal, and Slovakia each have 35.

Several major Asian economies rank much lower. China provides 16 days and India 18, while Japan’s 26 days also falls below the global average.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the countries gaining and losing the most tourists.

Europe’s summer holiday season doesn’t just empty offices and cities. It also leaves a visible mark on the continent’s carbon emissions.

This graphic from The European Correspondent uses data from the Copernicus European Carbon Monitor to show how daily emissions fluctuated throughout 2025.

Why Europe’s Emissions Bottom Out in Summer

The table below shows approximate monthly CO₂ emissions based on The European Correspondent’s analysis.

The seasonal swing is substantial: August emissions were roughly 42% below February’s peak of 9.7 Mt per day before beginning to climb again in autumn.

Several factors help explain the summer dip. Warmer weather reduces demand for heating, while Europe’s summer holidays slow industrial activity and electricity use. These effects help push emissions lower, although rising demand for air conditioning during heatwaves can offset some of the decline.

These seasonal swings sit within a much larger picture of changing carbon emissions by region and the long-term transition away from fossil fuels.

The Other Side of Europe’s Hot Summers

Lower fossil-fuel emissions in August don’t necessarily signal milder climate conditions. Hotter, drier summers can intensify drought and wildfire risk while increasing demand for air conditioning and putting additional strain on electricity systems.

Copernicus found that Europe’s extreme summer conditions in 2022 helped push EU wildfire carbon emissions to their highest level since 2007. More recently, severe heat and drought have continued to challenge European power systems and fuel major wildfires.

For individuals, seasonal changes in heating, transport, and travel can also substantially alter the carbon footprint of daily activities. Europe’s August dip illustrates how closely emissions remain tied to human activity—and to the weather.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore another dimension of the carbon cycle, see Visualized: Which Countries Capture the Most Carbon? on the Voronoi app.

Use This Visualization

Ranked: Countries With the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants

The Michelin star is one of the restaurant industry’s most recognized distinctions.

This visualization ranks countries by their number of starred restaurants, using 2025 data from World Population Review, compiled from the Michelin Guide.

France Has a Commanding Lead

The table below shows Michelin-starred and three-star restaurants by country.

Rank	Country	Restaurants with Michelin Stars	3 Star Michelin Restaurants
1	France	641	31
2	Italy	376	14
3	Japan	351	20
4	Germany	336	12
5	Spain	283	16
6	United States	276	16
7	United Kingdom	193	10
8	Switzerland	143	4
9	China	138	3
10	Belgium	129	2
11	Netherlands	119	1
12	Austria	80	2
13	Hong Kong	75	7
14	Taiwan	53	3
15	Portugal	46
16	Singapore	40	3
17	South Korea	39	1
18	Denmark	38	3
19	Canada	38
20	Thailand	36	1
21	Monaco	28	2
22	Brazil	25
23	Sweden	23	1
24	Mexico	23
25	Norway	22	2
26	Ireland	21
27	Macau	19	2
27	United Arab Emirates	19	2
29	Turkey	14
30	Croatia	13	3
31	Greece	12
32	Luxembourg	11
33	Argentina	10
34	Slovenia	9	1
35	Vietnam	9
35	Malaysia	9
36	Hungary	8
37	Poland	7
37	Finland	7
37	Malta	7
38	San Marino	6
39	Lithuania	4
40	Iceland	3
41	Czechia	2
41	Serbia	2
41	Qatar	2
41	Latvia	2
41	Estonia	2
46	Andorra	1
46	Liechtenstein	1
--	Total	3,751	162

France has a commanding lead, with 265 more starred restaurants than second-place Italy. Japan ranks third with 351, followed by Germany with 336 and Spain with 283.

Europe occupies much of the upper ranking, while Japan is Asia’s standout. The U.S. places sixth with 276 restaurants. These figures also reflect where Michelin publishes guides, meaning the rankings are not a comprehensive measure of restaurant quality in every country.

What Does a Michelin Star Mean?

According to Michelin, its inspectors evaluate restaurants based on five key factors: ingredient quality, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, the chef’s personality expressed through the cuisine, and consistency across visits.

Stars are awarded to restaurants rather than individual chefs. One star signifies high-quality cooking worth stopping for, two denotes excellent cooking worth a detour, and three represents exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.

At the three-star level, France leads with 31 restaurants, followed by Japan with 20. Spain and the U.S. each have 16. For a closer look at this elite tier, see which countries have the most three-star Michelin restaurants.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore another side of the restaurant industry, see Where Americans Still Tip 20% (and Where They Don’t) on the Voronoi app.

America’s largest state economies rank alongside some of the biggest economies in the world. Even further down the list, many individual states produce hundreds of billions of dollars in economic output each year.

This map pairs each U.S. state with the country closest to it in nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in 2025, using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the IMF’s World Economic Outlook.

The Big Four State Economies

At $4.3 trillion, California would rank among the world’s five largest economies if it were an independent country. Its closest match on the map is the United Kingdom.

Texas, meanwhile, has a $2.9 trillion economy, putting it closest to Russia. Both are major energy powerhouses, particularly in oil and gas.

The table below lists U.S. states alongside their closest country equivalents in nominal GDP terms.

State	2025 Nominal GDP (billions $)	Approx. Country Equivalent
Alabama	341	Peru
Alaska	75	Azerbaijan
Arizona	598	Austria
Arkansas	198	Morocco
California	4251	United Kingdom
Colorado	584	Thailand
Connecticut	376	Iran
Delaware	117	Ghana
District of Columbia	193	Ukraine
Florida	1835	Australia
Georgia	925	Taiwan
Hawaii	125	Guatemala
Idaho	136	Kenya
Illinois	1202	Saudi Arabia
Indiana	545	Norway
Iowa	277	Greece
Kansas	241	Hungary
Kentucky	307	Kazakhstan
Louisiana	340	Finland
Maine	103	Costa Rica
Maryland	568	United Arab Emirates
Massachusetts	820	Belgium
Michigan	730	Vietnam
Minnesota	531	Kuwait
Mississippi	165	Denmark
Missouri	468	Myanmar
Montana	82	Algeria
Nebraska	198	Dominican Republic
Nevada	281	Slovakia
New Hampshire	126	Canada
New Jersey	887	Slovenia
New Mexico	153	Poland
New York	2468	New Zealand
North Carolina	894	Portugal
North Dakota	82	Switzerland
Ohio	967	Uruguay
Oklahoma	274	Czech Republic
Oregon	343	Turkmenistan
Pennsylvania	1056	Singapore
Rhode Island	84	Russia
South Carolina	379	Bahrain
South Dakota	81	Ethiopia
Tennessee	590	Malaysia
Texas	2904	Zimbabwe
Utah	316	Finland
Vermont	48	Bahrain
Virginia	798	Belgium
Washington	895	Taiwan
West Virginia	109	Ethiopia
Wisconsin	473	Malaysia
Wyoming	53	Zimbabwe
U.S.	30762	China, Germany, Japan

New York’s $2.5 trillion economy is roughly the same size as Canada’s GDP. Meanwhile, Florida’s $1.8 trillion economy is closest to Australia, the largest economy in Oceania.

Together, these four states would each qualify for the Group of 20 (G20) if they were independent countries.

State-to-Country GDP Matches

Further down the list, Illinois has a $1.2 trillion GDP that is roughly the same size as Saudi Arabia’s, though its economy is far more diversified. Pennsylvania follows at $1.1 trillion, placing it closest to Switzerland.

Taiwan is the closest country match for four states: Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington.

The nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., has a nearly $200 billion GDP, putting it closest to Ukraine. Nebraska is also similar in economic size.

The U.S. Economy in the World

Overall, the U.S. has a $30.8 trillion national GDP, roughly equal to the combined output of China, Germany, and Japan, the world’s next three largest economies.

That national scale helps explain why individual states can match the economic output of major countries around the world.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about the future prospects of the world’s largest economy, check out What’s Next for the U.S. Economy? on Voronoi.

What makes a city beautiful to the people who actually live there?

This graphic maps the world’s most beautiful cities based on the percentage of locals who describe their city as “beautiful.” The 2026 survey was conducted by Time Out and surveyed 24,000 locals worldwide.

The Surprising Champion

Cape Town takes the top spot ahead of several cities famous for their architecture and tourism, including Paris, Florence, and Sydney.

South Africa’s legislative capital is known for its picturesque setting, including the Cape Peninsula and nearby Table Mountain.

The table below ranks the world’s most beautiful cities based on locals’ responses.

Rank	City	Beauty Score (%)
1	Cape Town	86
2	Edinburgh	84
3	Sydney	78
4	Chicago	77
5	Lisbon	74
6	Paris	68
6	Stockholm	68
7	Porto	67
8	Medellin	66
9	Riga	65
10	San Diego	61
11	Panama City	60
11	Cambridge	60
11	Florence	60
11	Rio de Janeiro	60
11	Bath	60
12	Bengaluru	59
12	Vienna	59
12	Brasilia	59

Edinburgh ranks second globally, with 84% of locals describing their city as beautiful.

Both the Old Town and New Town of Edinburgh form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Known for its cultural and architectural splendor, the city receives the second-most tourists in the United Kingdom.

Sydney ranks third at 78%.

European Cities Dominate the Ranking

Europe accounts for 10 of the 19 cities in the ranking, more than any other region.

The UK is well represented beyond Edinburgh. Bath and Cambridge, both at 60%, tie for 11th place.

Paris and Stockholm tie for sixth place worldwide, with 68% of locals in each city describing it as beautiful.

Portugal is also particularly well represented. The Southern European country’s two largest cities, Lisbon (74%) and Porto (67%), both rank among the world’s top 10.

Omissions and Outliers

Bengaluru, India (59%), is the only Asian city on the list, tying for 12th place with Brasilia and Vienna.

Two notable cities are absent: New York City and London. Despite being major global tourism and financial centers, neither appears in the ranking.

New York’s absence is particularly notable given that only two U.S. cities make the list: Chicago (77%), which ranks fourth worldwide, and San Diego (61%), which ranks 10th.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore the flip side of countries prized by tourists, read Ranked: Countries With More Tourists Than Locals on Voronoi.

Forests are among the planet’s most important natural resources, storing carbon, supporting biodiversity, and supplying everything from timber to clean water.

This graphic ranks the 15 countries with the most forest in 2025, from Russia’s vast boreal forests to the tropical forests of South America and Central Africa.

The data comes from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization via Our World in Data.

Russia Has 70% More Forest Than Brazil

Russia ranks first with 833 million hectares of forest, about 70% more than second-ranked Brazil and equal to roughly one-fifth of the global total.

Rank	Country	Hectares (2025)	Global Share
1	Russia	833M	20.1%
2	Brazil	486M	11.7%
3	Canada	369M	8.9%
4	U.S.	309M	7.5%
5	China	227M	5.5%
6	DR Congo	139M	3.4%
7	Australia	134M	3.2%
8	Indonesia	96M	2.3%
9	India	73M	1.8%
10	Peru	67M	1.6%
11	Mexico	66M	1.6%
12	Angola	63M	1.5%
13	Colombia	59M	1.4%
14	Bolivia	54M	1.3%
15	Venezuela	47M	1.1%

Canada ranks third with 369 million hectares, followed by the U.S. at 309 million and China at 227 million hectares.

Russia’s vast forest area is closely tied to its geography. Much of it stretches across Siberia, part of the enormous boreal forest belt spanning the northern reaches of the planet.

15 Countries Hold Nearly Three-Quarters of Global Forests

Together, the 15 countries in this ranking account for nearly three-quarters of the world’s forest area.

The Americas are especially prominent, with eight countries making the list: Brazil, Canada, the U.S., Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela.

The top five countries, Russia, Brazil, Canada, the U.S., and China, account for more than half of global forest area.

For another look at the 2025 data, see our earlier ranking of countries with the largest forests.

America’s Forests Are Also a Water Resource

Forest area matters for more than timber, biodiversity, and carbon storage. In the U.S., which ranks fourth globally, forests also play an outsized role in the country’s water supply.

Overall, forests generate about 46% of the surface water supply in the contiguous U.S.

By capturing precipitation, filtering water, and feeding rivers and reservoirs, forests directly support water supplies that millions of Americans rely on every day.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on the countries with the most freshwater.

Tea is the world’s most-consumed drink after water, with global production reaching 7.05 million metric tons in 2024. That was nearly double the amount produced 20 years earlier.

Black tea remains the dominant variety, while green tea accounts for about one-third of global production.

This visualization ranks the world’s largest tea-producing countries in 2024, measured in metric tons. The data comes from the International Tea Committee Ltd via the Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.

China Dominates Global Tea Production

China, where tea originated, produced 3.74 million metric tons of tea in 2024, accounting for 53% of global output. Its production was nearly three times that of India, the world’s second-largest producer.

Rank	Country	2024 Production (in 1,000 Metric Tons)	Share of Global Production (%)	Region
1	China	3,740	53	Asia
2	India	1,285	18	Asia
3	Kenya	599	8	Africa
4	Türkiye	273	4	Asia
5	Sri Lanka	262	4	Asia
6	Vietnam	180	3	Asia
7	Indonesia	125	2	Asia
8	Japan	74	1	Asia
--	World total	7,053	100	--

China’s lead reflects the enormous scale of its tea industry and the country’s long history with the crop. Its 2024 output alone exceeded the combined production of India, Kenya, Türkiye, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Japan.

Indian Tea Ranks Second, With Strong Domestic Demand

India produced 1.29 million metric tons of tea in 2024, equal to 18% of global production. Together, China and India accounted for 71% of the world’s tea output.

More than half of India’s tea is consumed domestically, making the country not only a major producer but also one of the world’s largest tea markets.

Kenya ranks third with 599,000 metric tons, or 8% of global production. It is the only country outside Asia among the world’s eight largest tea producers.

Despite producing less than half as much tea as India, Kenya is the world’s leading tea exporter. China and India, by comparison, consume large shares of their production domestically.

The World’s Tea Production Is Concentrated in Asia

Seven of the eight largest tea-producing countries are located in Asia. Beyond China and India, major Asian producers include Türkiye, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Japan. Türkiye also has the world’s highest per capita tea consumption, at more than three kilograms annually.

Together, the top eight producers accounted for 93% of the world’s tea production in 2024. The rest of the world produced a combined 515,000 metric tons, or 7% of global output.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you enjoyed this post, check out Trends in Specialty Coffee Beverages on Voronoi.

Podcasting’s biggest names are now earning tens of millions of dollars a year, fueled by major distribution agreements, advertising, and increasingly valuable audiences.

This graphic ranks the 20 highest-earning podcasters in 2026 using the latest available annual earnings estimates from Forbes.

Joe Rogan: The Undisputed King of Podcasting

Joe Rogan’s estimated $82 million in annual earnings puts him $12 million ahead of second-place John Coogan and Jordi Hayes of TBPN. The comedian, sports commentator, and former television host launched The Joe Rogan Experience on Christmas Eve 2009.

Much of Rogan’s earning power comes from his distribution deal with Spotify, which he first signed for a reported $200 million in 2020 and later renewed in 2024 for a reported $250 million.

The table below ranks the 20 highest-earning podcasters in 2026 based on annual earnings.

The Joe Rogan Experience has been the most-streamed podcast on Spotify since 2020, helping explain the scale of Rogan’s earning power.

While initially focused on pop culture and sports talk, JRE has become increasingly popular for its interviews with famous and at times controversial figures such as Elon Musk and Kanye West. Politicians including Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, and JD Vance have also made Rogan’s podcast a common stop on campaign trails.

Interviews and Tech

Rogan is not the only podcaster to benefit from big-name interviews. Brothers Jason and Travis Kelce ($35 million) saw their sports podcast, New Heights, soar in popularity following an appearance by Travis’s fiancée, global pop star Taylor Swift, in August 2025.

Meanwhile, British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett’s podcast, The Diary of a CEO, is known for its wide-ranging interviews with businesspeople, celebrities, actors, and politicians. Bartlett earns an estimated $45 million annually.

A different model has emerged with the technology podcast TBPN, which was acquired by OpenAI in 2026. Hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hayes earn an estimated $70 million annually from their Silicon Valley-focused podcast.

Pop Culture and Culture Wars

The highest-earning podcasters cover a wide range of topics. Ashley Flowers ($42 million) hosts the weekly true-crime podcast Crime Junkie, while Alex Cooper ($32 million), host of Call Her Daddy, has been called the most popular podcaster among young women.

Some major podcasters transitioned from other careers, particularly in pop culture. New Jersey rapper Joe Budden ($20 million) launched his self-titled podcast in February 2015. More than a decade later, the JBP, as it is known, remains a rare podcast that is fully independent of a major corporation.

Tucker Carlson ($20 million) launched The Tucker Carlson Show in 2023 shortly after he was fired by Fox News. The political podcast has helped the conservative commentator build a large audience across YouTube.

Taken together, the ranking shows how broadly podcasting’s biggest earners are spread across genres, from sports and true crime to business, technology, politics, and pop culture.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To see which podcasts dominate Spotify, check out this graphic on Voronoi.

Across the U.S., average in-state tuition and fees at public four-year universities vary by nearly threefold.

This map compares average tuition and required fees at public four-year universities for in-state students across all 50 states for the 2025-2026 academic year, based on College Board Research data.

Pricey Schools in the Northeast

The Northeast dominates the upper end of the ranking, with all five of the most expensive states located in the region.

Vermont leads with average in-state tuition and fees of $18,094, followed closely by New Hampshire ($17,995) and New Jersey ($17,957). Connecticut ($17,355) and Pennsylvania ($16,954) round out the top five.

The table below lists all U.S. states alongside their average annual in-state tuition and fees at four-year public universities.

The Northeast has long been one of the hubs of American higher education, in part because it is home to the Ivy League, a group of eight historic and prominent private universities.

Beyond the Ivies, the Northeast also has major public universities, including Rutgers University, the University of Connecticut, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Florida: The Budget Option

Florida, the country’s third-most populous state, sits at the affordable end of the ranking. The Sunshine State’s in-state tuition and fees at public four-year universities average just $6,359.

That is $1,076 less per year than Wyoming, the second-most affordable state at $7,435.

Florida is also home to several major public universities. The University of Florida (UF) and Florida International University (FIU), for example, are among the country’s largest higher education institutions by enrollment.

The Public vs. Private Debate

Rising college costs and questions about the return on investment of a college degree have led many families to weigh public universities against private alternatives.

Public university costs also vary substantially by location. California, for example, ranks 23rd for average in-state tuition and fees, placing it near the middle of the national ranking at $11,949 per year.

For California residents, that in-state rate is lower than the tuition charged to out-of-state and international students, helping make the state’s public university system an attractive option.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

To explore how college students feel about their finances while in school, check out How U.S. College Students Feel About Their Financial Situation on Voronoi.