New study ranks all 50 states. See where yours landed - usatoday.com
A new US News study ranks all 50 states based on metrics like education, economy, and health care. Utah took the top spot, while Louisiana was ranked last.
Why it matters
State rankings influence public perception, policy priorities, and potentially migration patterns for residents and businesses.
Hear this story A new study has ranked each of the 50 states from best to worst.
US News published its 2026 Overall Best State Rankings the week of July 27. Each state was analyzed in eight categories: Education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment, and crime and corrections.
This year, the states among the top five best are Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska. As for the bottom of the barrel, Arkansas, Michigan, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska and Louisiana ranked the lowest.
Interested in seeing where your state fell on the list? Here's a look at this year's rankings.
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