Best States for Disabled Veterans

Around 5.8 million veterans in the U.S. are living with a service-connected disability, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although benefits for these injured veterans are available nationwide, there are still some states that provide better living conditions and support systems than others

To highlight the best states for veterans with disabilities and the states that need to improve the most, SmileHub compared each of the 50 states using 22 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of veterans charities per capita to the presence of a state tax on military pensions to the number of Veterans Affairs health facilities per capita

In addition, if you want to support disabled veterans around the country but don’t know where to donate, you can check out our picks for the Best Charities for Veterans in 2026.

• Main Findings
• Methodology

Main Findings

Best States for Disabled Veterans

Overall Rank*	State	Total Score	Health & Rehabilitation Access Rank	Infrastructure & Community Support Rank	Economic Stability & Long-Term Security Rank
1	Florida	63.98	3	13	5
2	Virginia	60.20	13	1	23
3	Texas	59.56	19	3	8
4	New Hampshire	57.54	8	33	3
5	Wyoming	56.90	9	14	26
6	Massachusetts	56.38	7	26	16
7	Maine	56.32	15	6	27
8	Maryland	56.11	5	27	20
9	Nebraska	56.00	23	16	11
10	Alaska	55.29	12	11	30
11	Pennsylvania	54.13	4	40	6
12	South Carolina	53.82	35	12	7
13	Hawaii	53.81	11	45	2
14	New Jersey	53.67	14	41	1
15	North Dakota	53.41	20	10	29
16	Illinois	53.38	21	32	4
17	California	51.70	1	34	46
18	Alabama	50.96	47	8	9
19	Minnesota	50.87	29	21	17
20	Colorado	50.73	6	22	44
21	West Virginia	49.79	43	15	13
22	Oklahoma	49.47	33	4	37
23	Missouri	49.22	22	25	31
24	North Carolina	48.81	37	7	33
25	Arkansas	48.79	36	23	15
26	New York	48.42	2	48	28
27	Montana	48.02	10	19	48
28	South Dakota	46.57	24	30	38
29	Georgia	46.36	41	2	43
30	Washington	46.35	38	31	18
31	Michigan	46.09	25	46	10
32	Arizona	45.99	32	28	32
33	Rhode Island	45.89	28	37	19
34	Louisiana	45.87	39	29	22
35	Kentucky	45.15	30	5	49
36	Tennessee	44.88	40	18	39
37	Indiana	44.28	26	39	24
38	Ohio	44.03	17	44	34
39	Utah	44.01	44	20	35
40	Oregon	43.27	34	9	47
41	Iowa	42.86	48	35	12
42	Connecticut	42.61	16	49	21
43	Wisconsin	42.40	31	42	25
44	Nevada	40.14	49	17	36
45	Idaho	38.28	46	24	45
46	Kansas	37.95	45	36	40
47	New Mexico	37.95	42	38	41
48	Delaware	35.27	27	43	50
49	Vermont	34.56	18	50	42
50	Mississippi	32.33	50	47	14

Notes: *1 = Best

With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that state, where a rank of 1 represents the best conditions for that metric category.

 

Methodology

In order to determine the best states for disabled veterans, SmileHub compared the 50 states across three key dimensions: 1) Health & Rehabilitation Access, 2) Infrastructure & Community Support and 3) Economic Stability & Long-Term Security.

We evaluated those dimensions using 22 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the highest level of support for disabled veterans. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), the square root of the population was used to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for population differences across states.

We then determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states.

Health & Rehabilitation Access – Total Points: 45

• Number of VA Health Facilities per Veteran: Double Weight (~9.00 Points)

• Physicians per Capita: Full Weight (~4.50 Points)

• Mental Health Counselors per Capita: Full Weight (~4.50 Points)

• Occupational Therapists per Capita: Full Weight (~4.50 Points)

• Physical Therapists per Capita: Full Weight (~4.50 Points)

• Number of Veteran Treatment Courts per Veteran Population*: Full Weight (~4.50 Points)

• Share of Medicaid Long-Term Services & Supports Spending on Home/Community-Based Services (HCBS): Full Weight (~4.50 Points)

• Number of VA Benefits-Administration Facilities Per Veteran Population*: Double Weight (~9.00 Points)

Infrastructure & Community Support – Total Points: 30

• Presence of State Help for Returning Veterans: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of veteran transition programs & commissions in a state, as follows:
  • 1 – State has veteran transition assistance programs and commissions;
  • 0 – State doesn’t have veteran transition programs and commissions.

• State Authorization for Disabled Veterans’ Preference in Public Hiring: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of a state statute authorizing public employers to implement a disabled veteran-employment preference without vulnerability to claims of discrimination.

• State Authorization for Veterans’ Preference in Private Hiring: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of a state statute authorizing private employers to implement a veteran-employment preference without vulnerability to claims of discrimination.

• Veterans Charities per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)

• Total VA Expenditure per Veteran Population: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)

• Share of Veterans out of Total Population: Full Weight (~3.75 Points)

• Share of Disabled Veterans out of Total Veteran Population: Double Weight (~7.50 Points)

Economic Stability & Long-Term Security – Total Points: 25

• Share of Disabled Veterans in Poverty: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)

• State Disability Employment Rate Gap: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

• Median Income of Individuals With a Disability: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

• State Tax on Military Pension: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This is a binary metric:
  • 1 – Both military retired pay (MRP) and Survivor Benefit Plan payments (SBP) are fully exempt from state taxation;
  • 0.5 – MRP and/or SBP receive partial exemption from state taxation;
  • 0 – Neither MRP nor SBP is exempt from state taxation.

• Access to Housing Assistance for People with Disabilities: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)

• Disabled Veterans Property Tax Exemptions: Double Weight (~5.00 Points)
  Note: This binary metric considers the presence or absence of full property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans.
  • 1 – State with full property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans;
  • 0 – State with no full property tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans.

• Cost of Living: Full Weight (~2.50 Points)
  Note: This metric is based on The Council for Community and Economic Research’s 2024 annual Cost of Living Index.

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Internal Revenue Service, KFF, AARP, National Conference of State Legislatures, Council for Community and Economic Research, Military Officers Association of America and VA Claims Insider.