Wow, this is dark. Apparently, Florida is the worst place in the country to die. And it’s not just because of the wildlife. But let’s get this out of the way right away: There aren’t any good places to die.

However, according to the good folks at Policy Genius, certain states are much worse places to die thanks to a variety of factors.

“But where you live can have major implications on your quality of life when you’re near death, as well as your family’s financial well-being after you pass away,” Elissa Suh said in her piece at PolicyGenius.com. “Being able to easily settle an estate, for example, can benefit everyone during a difficult time.”

The outlet looked at a number of things in ranking the “best” places to die, including:

• Funeral costs
• Funeral services (number of options, etc.)
• Green burial options
• Palliative care (including hospice) options
• Medicare providers
• Deaths at home
• and Probate shortcuts (how easy is it to settle your estate after you die)

All that taken into account, my friend Brandon in NC isn’t much better – North Carolina came in ranked 44 out of the 50 states (and D.C.), making it also one of the worst places to die. The biggest negatives for Tar Heels seems to be funeral home density, green burial options and Medicare options.

Let’s take a look at the best and worst places around the country to die:

• The Top 8, Um, Best Places To Die:

• 1. Vermont

  

  Hope cemetery is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in Vermont. It is located in the city of granite: Barre.

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  1	Vermont	71.7%	$8,984	72.6	10.3%	8713	100.0%	38.0%

• 2. Utah

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  2	Utah	70.3%	$7,536	24.3	4.3%	8166	92.9%	44.2%

• 3. Idaho

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  3	Idaho	60.3%	$7,288	30.8	3.8%	7108	66.7%	42.0%

• 4. Ohio

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  4	Ohio	59.7%	$7,195	66.1	0.9%	7607	84.8%	29.4%

• 5. South Dakota

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  5	South Dakota	59.4%	$7,748	70.5	3.4%	8973	88.9%	21.6%

• 6. Maine

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  6	Maine	59.1%	$8,999	58.0	4.0%	8880	76.9%	37.0%

• 7. Illinois

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  7	Illinois	58.9%	$7,419	56.2	0.6%	8854	81.6%	32.7%

• 8. Colorado

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  8	Colorado	58.9%	$8,132	22.2	3.8%	9573	80.6%	36.0%

• The Bottom 8

  Scroll all the way to the bottom to find Florida…..

• 44. North Carolina

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  44	North Carolina	39.7%	$7,404	45.2	1.9%	6775	67.6%	33.2%

• 45. New Jersey

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  45	New Jersey	39.4%	$9,154	49.3	0.6%	7098	91.8%	29.9%

• 46. Georgia

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  46	Georgia	39.4%	$6,924	37.3	0.7%	7041	65.0%	33.2%

• 47. New York

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  47	New York	38.9%	$10,355	51.7	1.0%	7131	80.8%	29.7%

• 48. Hawaii

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  48	Hawaii	38.3%	$15,203	11.8	3.7%	5079	66.7%	37.4%

• 49. Texas

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  49	Texas	38.0%	$7,148	31.3	0.6%	6173	52.2%	33.0%

• 50. Alaska

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  50	Alaska	37.1%	$9,913	17.2	0.0%	14566	42.9%	43.4%

• 51. Florida

  

  A pair of Sandhill Cranes seen wandering through the Sarasota National Cemetery on a winter afternoon.

  According to the website: “Florida is the worst place to die in 2022. This may be surprising given its popularity with retirees. One-fifth of Florida residents are over age 65, and 9.5% of Florida residents are over 75 years old; no other state has an over-70 population as big, percentage-wise.  However, people who retire in the Sunshine State should know Florida ranked 43rd for at-home deaths. It also has the fewest Medicare providers per capita of any state, and it ranks 36th when it comes to the availability of palliative care.”

  Rank	State	Final score	Funeral costs	Funeral home density	Green burial	Medicare	Palliative care	Deaths at home
  51	Florida	30.9%	$7,667	28.4	0.8%	4257	64.5%	29.2%

• And there's lots of ways it could happen

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