These are the 10 friendliest countries for millennials, a new study says

It can be difficult being a millennial.

They want to retire as millionaires but struggle to balance lifestyle costs with financial goals. While many factors can contribute to this, where Millennials live can impact how well they are able to perform.

Scolaroa college scholarship resource, ranked the best states for millennials — defined as people born between 1981 and 1996 — across the following categories:

1. Affordability
2. Political and social environment
3. employment
4. Quality of life
5. health
6. personal financing
7. safety

The seven categories were evaluated using 52 scales graded on a 100-point scale. Metrics included cost of living, homeownership rate, unemployment rate, average income, retirement age, and average FICO score.

New York and California may be major job centers for millennials, but neither state made the top 10.

Minnesota was ranked as the best state for millennials, with a score of 71.63. It has the second-highest homeownership rate among millennials, according to Scholaroo — and scores highly in personal finance and affordability.

The “Land of 10,000 Lakes” was named one of the best states to live and work in CNBC’s annual study.

In a WalletHub report earlier this year, Minnesota was also ranked as the least stressful state in the country. Residents said they experienced less money and family-related stress.

Minnesota also had the second-highest average hours of sleep per night, just behind Colorado, in the same WalletHub report.

1. Minnesota
2. Utah
3. Massachusetts
4. Colorado
5. Vermont
6. who
7. Washington
8. Virginia
9. Maryland
10. yeah

Utah ranked second best state for millennials, with a score of 70.51.

Utah also topped the list as the state with the highest employment rate for millennials, and is in fourth place for personal finance.

Like Minnesota, Utah was recently ranked as one of the least stressful states in America. Utah had the lowest average hours worked per week, one of the lowest percentages of residents living in poverty and the lowest divorce rate in the United States.

In another WalletHub study conducted in September, Utah was ranked as the happiest state in America and had the highest rate of volunteers. Three of its cities were ranked as the most neighborhood-friendly in the country, in a September ranking from Neighbor.com.

Massachusetts rounded out the top three of the best states for millennials. The state also ranked second in terms of health and sixth in terms of political and social environment.

A September ranking from Soliant Health ranked Massachusetts as the third best U.S. state for mental health. “Massachusetts has the largest number of mental health providers per capita, with one provider for every 145 residents,” the report states.

The New England state has the highest median income for millennials, which makes sense considering that residents are among the highest in the country with an average salary of $76,600 per year, which is slightly higher than the median American household income of $74,580.

Don’t Miss: Want to be smarter and more successful in your money, your work, and your life? Subscribe to our new newsletter!

As technology reshapes business expectations, some leaders are embracing change and transforming their organizations for the future. Join the CNBC Evolve Global Summit on November 2 to hear strategies to adapt, innovate, and succeed in this new era of business. Buy your ticket here.