U.S. News Ranks Best States for 2023
The latest edition of the Best States rankings project finds a new No. 1 and a strong showing from the West and Midwest in the top 10.
Utah has taken the No. 1 spot in U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings after Washington held it for two editions in a row, the newly released analysis shows.
Since its inception in 2017, the Best States project has used thousands of data points to capture how all 50 states serve their residents. The rankings team analyzes statistics tied to more than 70 metrics across eight categories, such as health care, education and natural environment.
Buoyed by its top ranking in both the economy and fiscal stability categories, Utah unseated Washington at least in part because of consistency. The Beehive State finished in the top 15 in six of the eight categories measured by U.S. News, with a top 20 performance in another.
“Since early 2020, Utah's tax revenue recovery has consistently outpaced the national trend,” says Justin Theal, a state fiscal health project officer with nonpartisan, data-focused nonprofit The Pew Charitable Trusts. “In fact, tax revenue in Utah has outperformed nearly every state when you compare its overall collections in recent years to the state's pre-COVID growth trend.”Other states near the top of the rankings include Nebraska – which landed in the top 5 – and Iowa and Vermont, both of which cracked the top 10. And while it is no longer considered the best state, Washington moved down just one spot overall, still boasting consistent success across most of the Best States categories.
The 10 Best States in the U.S.:
In general, the 10 best states in the nation span every region of the country, but more than half are located in the West or Midwest. Those states tended to perform well in the economy and fiscal stability categories.
“Across the West, tax revenue in most states has come in stronger than expected these past few years,” notes Theal, who is also a lead author for Pew’s Fiscal 50 project. Western states such as Idaho also have seen rapid population growth, which matters for tax revenue collection, adds Joanna Biernacka-Lievestro, a manager with Pew’s state fiscal health project and another Fiscal 50 lead author.
Aside from Utah, two other states performed double duty with top performances in Best States categories: Hawaii (health care, natural environment) and New Hampshire (crime and corrections, opportunity) each had two No. 1 category finishes. Minnesota took the top spot in the infrastructure category, while Florida finished No. 1 in education amid controversy over recent policies championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a potential presidential hopeful.
Yet no state is perfect, regardless of category or overall ranking. Utah underperformed significantly in the natural environment category (ranked No. 46), while Washington finished only No. 31 in opportunity. And findings within the rankings’ equality subcategory reveal inequities across the board, from race and gender to disability status. For example, in all states, the per capita income of those who identify as Black, Indigenous, a person of color or Hispanic is less than that of non-Hispanic whites.
Some states in particular are facing more challenges than others, the Best States analysis shows. Louisiana finished at the bottom of the rankings, with No. 50 performances in two categories (crime and corrections, and economy) and three other finishes in the bottom 3.
Many of the bottom 10 states are located in the South.
The 10 Lowest-Ranked States in the U.S.
50. Louisiana
49. Alaska
48. Mississippi
47. New Mexico
46. West Virginia
45. Arkansas
44. Alabama
43. Oklahoma
42. South Carolina
41. Michigan
But just as no state is perfect, none are struggling completely, either. Mississippi – coming in at No. 48 overall – finished in the No. 16 spot in the natural environment category, while No. 47-ranked New Mexico was ranked No. 15 for fiscal stability.
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