(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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

    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

    dead people

    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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