United States

United States

Northern America

North America
80
Overall score
Excellent overall
Language
English
Currency
USD
Citizenship
5 years (3 via US spouse)
Personal tax
10–37% federal + state
Cost of living
$2,500 / mo (single)

The world's deepest job and capital markets, top universities and an EB-5 investor green card, offset by costly healthcare, citizenship-based worldwide taxation and a hard work-visa lottery.

Pros

  • Highest salaries & venture capital
  • EB-5 investor green card
  • World-leading universities

Cons

  • Taxed on worldwide income as a citizen
  • Expensive healthcare
  • H-1B lottery & long green-card queues

Best for

High earners & foundersInvestors (EB-5)Top researchers & specialists

Score profile

Status & mobility
Passport
93
Citizenship
73
Residence
62
Money & business
Taxes
54
Corporate tax
40
Business
54
Investment
96
Economy
87
Wealth building
70
Living, study & work
Education
89
Salary & work
76
Cost of living
29
Buying power
70
Quality of life
Safety
66
Healthcare
84
Infrastructure
85
HDI
94

Status & mobility

Passport

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any travel or visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Passport power
Excellent
93

Passport-index style mobility for the United States passport. The score above is its world reach: the share of 198 destinations reachable without a prior visa.

185 / 198
Mobility
#10
Global rank
Yes
Biometric
  • Visa-free137
  • On arrival40
  • eTA8
  • Visa required13

Passport Index style mobility data (2024–2025 estimate). Placeholder figures; verify current entry rules with each destination’s authority before travelling.

Citizenship

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any citizenship decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Citizenship accessibility
Good
73
Years required5 years as a green-card holder (3 if married to a US citizen)
Dual allowedtrue
LanguageBasic English + US civics/history test
ResidencePermanent residence (green card) with continuous physical presence
NotesThe US taxes citizens and green-card holders on worldwide income for life; renouncing can trigger an expatriation (exit) tax.
Residence

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any residence / visa decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Openness to residents
Moderate
62
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines how international the population already is (migrant stock at 45%), governance quality (regulatory quality at 25%), and the curated residence-pathway signal (30%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Migrant stock15.2% of population (2024)
Regulatory quality1.35 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main pathways
EB-5 investor green cardH-1B / O-1 work visaL-1 intracompanyFamily sponsorship
StudentF-1 visa; on-campus work + OPT/CPT practical training.
WorkH-1B (annual lottery), O-1 for extraordinary ability, L-1 transfers.
Self-employedNo simple founder visa; routes via O-1, E-2 treaty investor, or EB-5.
PermanentGreen card via employment, family, or EB-5 ($800k+ investment).

Money & business

Taxes

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Tax friendliness
Moderate
54
Personal10–37% federal, plus 0–13.3% state income tax
Corporate21% federal + state corporate tax
Capital gains0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Dividends0/15/20% qualified dividends + NIIT
Exit taxYes: mark-to-market expatriation tax for covered expatriates
Foreign cosExtensive CFC (Subpart F / GILTI) and PFIC rules
Personal tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Personal tax
Limited
33
Personal10–37% federal, plus 0–13.3% state income tax
FreelanceSole proprietor / LLC; self-employment tax ~15.3%
Capital gains0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Dividends0/15/20% qualified dividends + NIIT
Exit taxYes: mark-to-market expatriation tax for covered expatriates
Corporate tax

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Corporate tax
Limited
40
Corporate21% federal + state corporate tax
Capital gains0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Dividends0/15/20% qualified dividends + NIIT
Foreign cosExtensive CFC (Subpart F / GILTI) and PFIC rules
Business
Business friendliness
Moderate
54
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score leans on the two things founders ask about most: the tax burden (headline corporate rate at 20%, broader tax friendliness at 15%, and freedom from exit-tax / CFC rules at 10%) plus the regulatory and bureaucratic environment (regulatory quality 15%, government effectiveness 15%), on top of the curated company-rules signal (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the values are shown below.

Regulation & bureaucracy
Regulatory quality1.35 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Government effectiveness1.36 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rules & taxes
Foreign co.Yes: no nationality limit on owning a US LLC/C-corp
Local co.LLC or C-corp (Delaware popular) online in days
FreelanceSole proprietor / LLC; self-employment tax ~15.3%
Corporate tax21% federal + state corporate tax
Capital gains0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Exit taxYes: mark-to-market expatriation tax for covered expatriates
Foreign cosExtensive CFC (Subpart F / GILTI) and PFIC rules
Investment

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any investment / tax decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Investing environment
Excellent
96
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score is mostly the investor-tax signal (capital-gains treatment, broker access, wealth tax, and ETF or other taxes on investment, 70%), lightly contextualised by equity-market depth (market cap / GDP at 18%) and credit depth (domestic credit to the private sector / GDP at 12%). Available indicators are reweighted.

Market cap216% of GDP (2024)
Private credit201% of GDP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains0/15/20% long-term; deepest brokerage & ETF ecosystem
DividendsData not available yet
ETFs & fundsData not available yet
Wealth taxNone federally
BrokersBest-in-class: Fidelity, Schwab, Interactive Brokers, Vanguard
Foreign accessData not available yet
Tax-advantagedData not available yet
Economy
Economic strength
Excellent
87
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines income level (GDP and GNI per capita, output per worker), growth momentum (real GDP growth), price stability (inflation) and labour utilisation (unemployment). Available indicators are reweighted; the sector split and industry profile below are descriptive, not scored.

Output & income
GDP$28.8T (2024)
GDP / person$84,534 (2024)
GNI / person$85,980 PPP (2024)
GDP growth2.8% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour
Inflation2.9% / yr (2024)
Unemployment4.2% (2025)
Output per worker$153,544 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition
Agriculture1.0% of GDP (2021)
Industry17.9% of GDP (2021)
Services77.6% of GDP (2021)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries
TechnologyFinancial servicesHealthcareAerospace & defenceEnergyEntertainment
Top exports
Refined fuels & crudeAircraftMachineryPharmaceuticalsSemiconductors
TypeHigh-income, services- and innovation-led
Key sectorsBig Tech & software, Wall Street finance, Healthcare & biotech
SummaryThe world's largest economy, led by technology, finance and services with deep capital markets.
CurrencyUS dollar (the world's primary reserve currency)
Wealth building

Rules change often and depend on your situation. Confirm any tax / investment decision with a qualified professional, or do your own research, before acting.

Wealth accumulation
Good
70
How this score is calculated

How favourable United States is for building wealth: earnings and business/investment upside, tax drag, and how much a typical income keeps after living costs. Estimated from the factors below.

Salary & work
Excellent
95
Business
Moderate
61
Investment
Excellent
94
Tax friendliness
Moderate
54
Cost of living
Low
29

Living, study & work

Education
Education score
Excellent
89
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines attainment (expected schooling at 30% and mean schooling at 25%) with participation (tertiary enrolment at 25%) and public investment (government education spending at 20%). Available indicators are reweighted; tuition and study rules remain separate profile fields below.

Attainment
Expected schooling15.9 years (2023)
Mean schooling13.9 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Participation & investment
Tertiary enrolment79% gross (2022)
Education spending5.4% of GDP (2021)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Tuition$10,000–60,000 / yr
Public uniIn-state public ~$10–12k; out-of-state & private far higher
LanguagesEnglish
Student workOn-campus work; OPT (12 mo, 36 mo STEM) after graduation
Salary & work
Labour-market strength
Good
76
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines output per worker (a proxy for wage potential at 40%), unemployment (35%) and labour-force participation (25%). Available indicators are reweighted; the curated profile fields remain below.

Output per worker$153,544 PPP (2024)
Unemployment4.2% (2025)
Participation61.7% of 15+ (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Mean monthly earnings of employees
Overall$4,333 · $4,481 PPP (2024)
Tech (IT & comms)$8,320 · $8,320 PPP (2024)

Source: ILOSTAT (International Labour Organization)

FreelanceVast 1099 contracting market; highest global day rates
Job marketSilicon Valley, NYC, Seattle, Austin hubs; visa is the main hurdle.
Cost of living
Affordability
Low
29

Our 0–100 affordability score is derived from the local consumer price level (World Bank, US = 100): the cheaper everyday prices are, the higher it scores. Lower price level means your money goes further here.

Price level100 (US = 100) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent$1,800–3,500 (1BR major city)
Monthly$2,500
CitiesNew York, San Francisco, Austin, Miami
Buying power
Purchasing power score
Good
70
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score estimates how far money goes for the typical person here. It combines GNI per capita at PPP (30%) and actual household consumption per person at PPP (15%) with a price-advantage term from the local price level (25%) that rewards lower prices, then adjusts for income equality via the Gini index (20%), so unequal economies don't ride a high average, plus price stability via consumer inflation (10%). Available indicators are reweighted; it is a comparison, not a personal budget estimate.

GNI / person$85,980 PPP (2024)
Consumption / person$58,291 PPP (2024)
Price level100 (US = 100) (2024)
Income inequality41.8 Gini (2024)
Inflation2.9% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Quality of life

Safety
Safety & stability
Good
66
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines personal safety (intentional homicide rate at 35%), institutional quality (rule of law at 25% and control of corruption at 20%), and political stability and absence of violence (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below. Always check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Personal safety
Homicide rate5.8 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability
Rule of law0.96 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Control of corruption1.09 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)
Political stability-0.10 (−2.5 to 2.5) (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Healthcare
Healthcare score
Excellent
84
How this score is calculated

Our 0–100 score combines health outcomes (life expectancy at 25% and under-5 mortality at 20%) with system capacity (physicians at 20% and hospital beds at 15% per 1,000 people) and health spending per capita (20%). Available indicators are reweighted; the published values are shown below.

Outcomes
Life expectancy78.9 years (2024)
Under-5 mortality6.5 per 1,000 births (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capacity & resourcing
Physicians3.68 per 1,000 (2022)
Hospital beds2.68 per 1,000 (2022)
Health spending$13,473 PPP / person (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

System & costs
SystemPrivate, employer-based; no universal coverage
InsuranceNo mandate; insurance essential (very high out-of-pocket costs)
Avg cost$400–700 / mo individual premium (plus deductibles)
Infrastructure
Infrastructure score
Excellent
85
How this score is calculated

The score combines digital access, resilience and download performance (30%), electricity access and network losses (30%), and transport infrastructure covering rail, logistics and aviation (40%). Available inputs are reweighted, but a country needs both digital and transport data to receive a score.

Digital infrastructure
Internet use94.7% (2024)
Internet resilience71 / 100 (2026)
Fixed speed95 / 100 download index (2026)
Mobile speed82 / 100 download index (2026)

Sources: World Bank World Development Indicators · Internet Society Pulse Internet Resilience Index

Utilities
Electricity access100.0% (2023)
Grid losses5.3% of output (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Transport
Transport quality3.90 / 5 (2022)
Rail density16.2 km / 1,000 km² (2021)
Air connectivity27,248 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

HDI
Human development score
Excellent
94
How this score is calculated

The UN Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three dimension indices (a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living), shown on a 0–100 map scale (HDI × 100). The 2023 UNDP inputs behind each dimension are listed below.

HDI0.938 (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Long & healthy life
Life expectancy79.3 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Knowledge
Expected schooling15.9 years (2023)
Mean schooling13.9 years (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Standard of living
GNI / person$73,650 PPP (2023)

Source: UNDP Human Development Report 2025

Resources

Mock data for demonstration only. Not legal or tax advice.