Massachusetts is the ‘best state in the nation,’ according to U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News evaluated all 50 states across a range of criteria, from education and health care to infrastructure and economy, to capture how states best serve their citizens. The inaugural Best States rankings are the centerpiece of a new, interactive platform.
Rhode Island was ranked at #21 overall, coming in 7th for Health Care, 31st for Education, #3 for Crime, #35 for infrastructure, #32 for Opportunity, #18 for Economy, and #38 for Government.
“U.S. News is known worldwide for its rankings of colleges and hospitals. We take the same in-depth approach to evaluating states,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer. “Together, the new Best States rankings and platform are a comprehensive effort to provide citizens with a full picture of what’s working and what needs to be improved in their states.”
The top five best overall states are geographically and politically diverse. Following Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Minnesota are the No. 2 and No. 3 best overall states, respectively. North Dakota places fourth, and Washington rounds out the top five.
In addition to the overall rankings, U.S. News evaluated states across 68 metrics to create 28 rankings. Hawaii is No. 1 in health care; Oregon takes the top spot in infrastructure; Colorado is No. 1 for economy; and Indiana places first for government. Citizens can explore rankings in energy, higher education, transportation, employment, equality, affordability and much more. They can also compare states across a range of issues, from incarceration rates and prison overpopulation, to road and bridge quality, household income, poverty rate, gender equality, unemployment and more.
The rankings are based on tens of thousands of data points provided by McKinsey & Company’s Leading States Index. In calculating the rankings, categories were weighted based on a national “citizen experience” survey, conducted by McKinsey, that asked people to prioritize each subject in their state and provide their levels of satisfaction with government services. Health care and education are the most highly weighted factors in the methodology.
The Best States platform includes analysis, daily reporting, historical information, photos and videos on state issues. The interactive data explorer tool allows citizens and government leaders to draw ready comparisons between their own states and others through more than 100,000 charts. The site enables users to explore the states on their own as well as follow the narratives of writers around the country analyzing trends and events.
“With the news from Washington, D.C., dominating the headlines and local newspapers cutting budgets, the Best States platform fills a crucial hole, shedding light on the policies and practices that directly affect citizens where they live their lives,” said Mark Silva, assistant managing editor of Best States.
