U.S. News & World Report released a ranking of the best and worst states according to 70 metrics measuring the quality of life afforded to their denizens.
Among the best were Washington state, New Hampshire, and Minnesota.
Here are the Top 10 states according to the ranking:
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Minnesota
- Utah
- Vermont
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Massachusetts
- Nebraska
- Colorado
Among the worst states were Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
Here's a list of the bottom worst states, according to the ranking:
50. Louisiana
49. Alabama
48. Mississippi
47. West Virginia
46. New Mexico
45. Arkansas
44. Alaska
43. Oklahoma
42. South Carolina
41. Pennsylvania
40. Kentucky
Washington state ranked very high in metrics measuring infrastructure, the economy, education, and health care.
Louisiana, the worst state, ranked very low in metrics of natural environment, crime and corrections, opportunity, and nearly every other measure.
The overall score was weighted in favor of the health care and education metrics, which were favored most according to a poll of what matters most to people.
The entire ranking of all 50 states is available here, with an interactive platform and a comprehensive explanation of how the rankings were computed.
Here's a report of the rankings from 2017:
Mass. tops U.S. News & World Report's best states rankingwww.youtube.com