Why is the rural Midwest "easier" to live in than the rural/suburban South?

[Padfoot]

The rural south fairs horribly on almost all 6 metrics used to create this map (in no particular order):

1. % with Bachelor's Degree - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._States_by_Education_attainment

2. median household income - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_income#States_ranked_by_median_household_income

3. unemployment rate - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_unemployment_rate#See_also

4. disability rate - (no convenient wikipedia link)

5. life expectancy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_life_expectancy

6. obesity - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States#Prevalence_by_state

Notice anything about which states tend to be ranked worst?