United States

Northern America

North America

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.

Overall score

Good · 98% data coverage

Language

English

Currency

USD

Citizenship

5 years (3 via US spouse)

Personal tax

10–37% federal + state

Cost of living

$2,500 / mo (single)

Rules change often. Confirm any immigration, tax or legal decision with a qualified professional.

Score breakdown

Access

17%

72Residence12%

78Citizenship and passport5%

Earning power

25%

76Salary and work12%

70Buying power13%

Business and wealth

20%

54Taxes7%

81Business8%

100Investment5%

Daily life

25%

77Quality of life18%

89Education7%

Rights and institutions

13%

79Freedom6%

88Rule of law7%

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

Access

Residence

Citizenship

Passport

Earning power

Salary & work

Buying power

Cost of living

Economy

Business and wealth

Taxes

Personal tax

Corporate tax

Business

Investment

100

Wealth building

Daily life

Safety

Healthcare

Environment

Infrastructure

Education

HDI

Rights and institutions

Freedom

Rule of law

How the scores are calculated

Access

Residence

Openness to residents

Good

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

Student	F-1 visa; on-campus work + OPT/CPT practical training.
Work	H-1B (annual lottery), O-1 for extraordinary ability, L-1 transfers.
Self-employed	No simple founder visa; routes via O-1, E-2 treaty investor, or EB-5.
Permanent	Green card via employment, family, or EB-5 ($800k+ investment).

Citizenship

Citizenship accessibility

Good

Years required	5 years as a green-card holder (3 if married to a US citizen)
Dual allowed	Yes
Language	Basic English + US civics/history test
Residence	Permanent residence (green card) with continuous physical presence
Notes	The US taxes citizens and green-card holders on worldwide income for life; renouncing can trigger an expatriation (exit) tax.

Passport

Passport power

Excellent

185 / 198

Mobility

#10

Global rank

Yes

Biometric

Visa-free137
On arrival40
eTA8
Visa required13

Placeholder estimates for 2024 to 2025. Check entry rules with each destination before travelling.

Earning power

Salary & work

Labour-market strength

Good

Output per worker$153,592 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)

Freelance	Vast 1099 contracting market; highest global day rates
Job market	Silicon Valley, NYC, Seattle, Austin hubs; visa is the main hurdle.

Buying power

Purchasing power score

Good

GNI / person$89,490 PPP (2025)

Consumption / person$58,005 PPP (2024)

Price level100 (US = 100) (2025)

Income inequality41.8 Gini (2024)

Inflation2.9% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Cost of living

Affordability

Low

Price level100 (US = 100) (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Rent	$1,800–3,500 (1BR major city)
Monthly	$2,500
Cities	New York, San Francisco, Austin, Miami

Economy

Economic strength

Excellent

Output & income

GDP$30.8T (2025)

GDP / person$90,027 (2025)

GNI / person$89,490 PPP (2025)

GDP growth2.8% / yr (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Stability & labour

Inflation2.9% / yr (2024)

Unemployment4.2% (2025)

Output per worker$153,592 PPP (2024)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Sector composition

Agriculture0.9% of GDP (2021)

Industry17.6% of GDP (2021)

Services76.3% of GDP (2021)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Main industries

TechnologyFinancial servicesHealthcareAerospace & defenceEnergyEntertainment

Top exports

Refined fuels & crudeAircraftMachineryPharmaceuticalsSemiconductors

Type	High-income, services- and innovation-led
Key sectors	Big Tech & software, Wall Street finance, Healthcare & biotech
Summary	The world's largest economy, led by technology, finance and services with deep capital markets.
Currency	US dollar (the world's primary reserve currency)

Business and wealth

Taxes

Tax friendliness

Moderate

Personal	10–37% federal, plus 0–13.3% state income tax
Corporate	21% federal + state corporate tax
Capital gains	0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Dividends	0/15/20% qualified dividends + NIIT
Exit tax	Yes: mark-to-market expatriation tax for covered expatriates
Foreign companies	Extensive CFC (Subpart F / GILTI) and PFIC rules

Personal tax

Limited

Personal	10–37% federal, plus 0–13.3% state income tax
Freelance	Sole proprietor / LLC; self-employment tax ~15.3%
Capital gains	0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Dividends	0/15/20% qualified dividends + NIIT
Exit tax	Yes: mark-to-market expatriation tax for covered expatriates

Corporate tax

Limited

Corporate	21% federal + state corporate tax
Capital gains	0/15/20% long-term + 3.8% net investment income tax
Dividends	0/15/20% qualified dividends + NIIT
Foreign companies	Extensive CFC (Subpart F / GILTI) and PFIC rules

Business

Business friendliness

Excellent

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

Operating rules

Foreign company	Yes: no nationality limit on owning a US LLC/C-corp
Local company	LLC or C-corp (Delaware popular) online in days
Freelance	Sole proprietor / LLC; self-employment tax ~15.3%

Investment

Investing environment

Excellent

100

Market cap224% of GDP (2025)

Private credit201% of GDP (2025)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Capital gains	0/15/20% long-term; deepest brokerage & ETF ecosystem
Dividends	Data not available yet
ETFs & funds	Data not available yet
Wealth tax	None federally
Brokers	Best-in-class: Fidelity, Schwab, Interactive Brokers, Vanguard
Foreign access	Data not available yet
Tax-advantaged	Data not available yet

Wealth building

Wealth accumulation

Good

Salary & work

Good

Business

Excellent

Investment

Excellent

100

Tax friendliness

Moderate

Cost of living

Low

Daily life

Safety

Safety & stability

Moderate

Personal safety

Homicide rate5.8 per 100,000 (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Institutions & stability

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

Check current government travel and security advice before relocating.

Healthcare

Healthcare score

Excellent

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

System	Private, employer-based; no universal coverage
Insurance	No mandate; insurance essential (very high out-of-pocket costs)
Average cost	$400–700 / mo individual premium (plus deductibles)

Environment

Environment score

Excellent

Environmental pressure

PM2.5 exposure7.0 μg/m³ annually (2023)

Water stress28.2% (2022)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Infrastructure

Infrastructure score

Excellent

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 connectivity27,114 departures / million people (2023)

Source: World Bank World Development Indicators

Education

Education score

Excellent

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 university	In-state public ~$10–12k; out-of-state & private far higher
Languages	English
Student work	On-campus work; OPT (12 mo, 36 mo STEM) after graduation

HDI

Human development score

Excellent

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