U.S. News Ranks the Best States
Utah retains its No. 1 ranking in U.S. News & World Report's Best States project for the second year in a row, with strong performance in multiple categories. New Hampshire and Minnesota also rank highly, while Louisiana ranks at the bottom. The rankings are based on various data points across different areas such as health care, education, economy, and infrastructure.
Key Points
- Utah excels in education, economy, and infrastructure
- New Hampshire ranks No. 1 in crime and corrections
- Vermont leads in the opportunity category
- Florida tops in both education and economy
- Louisiana ranks lowest for crime and corrections and economy
- West Virginia performs well in opportunity and fiscal stability despite overall low ranking
Pros
- Utah maintains its top ranking for the second consecutive year
- Strong performance in multiple categories such as education, economy, and infrastructure
- Data-driven analysis based on thousands of data points across 71 metrics in eight categories
Cons
- Some top-performing states have weaknesses in certain categories like natural environment and opportunity
- Methodological changes between years can affect rankings
- Some states in the bottom rankings also show strengths in specific categories