Massachusetts Is One Of The Best States In America, What Kept Us From #1
Massachusetts is one of the best states in America. This is according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report. This sounds like a very vague statement so…
Massachusetts Is One Of The Best States to Live In America
DAMMassachusetts is one of the best states in America. This is according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report. This sounds like a very vague statement so we figure we'd dive deeper into the rankings and find out how they were determined. Better yet, we wanted to find out why Massachusetts was not #1 on the list. This is what we came up with.
How did U.S. News & World Report come up with its rankings?
According to U.S. News & World Report, its rankings are based on how well each state is performing for its citizens. Another vague statement. However, they do look at several key categories including: health care, education and public safety. They also look at economy, roads, bridges, infrastructure and fiscal stability.
Massachusetts ranks #10 on the list of best states in America
Massachusetts winds up at #10 on this list. According to U.S. News & World Report, we rank #2 for health care and #3 for education. We rank #4 for crime, #7 for natural environment and #8 for economy. Now, the reason Massachusetts did not place higher is most definitely because of opportunity where we rank #46 and both infrastructure and fiscal stability we rank #39.
Now what about the other states in the country? We will say there are 2 other New England states in the top 10. We'll have to see if Massachusetts can move up next year although, it's not looking like those low ranking categories will be improving anytime soon. Let's take a look at the rest of the top 10 of the best states in America according to U.S. News & World Report.
#9 Florida
Many will agree with this because lots of people from Massachusetts residents flock to Florida in the winter. The "snowbirds" spend their winters in the sunshine state. Florida ranks #1 for education and #1 for economy.
#8 Washington
This is an interesting one. Its high ranking is mainly geographic. With breath taking mountains and coastline, Washington is a hiker's dream. It ranks #7 in infrastructure and that's its highest ranking.
#7 Vermont
Vermont is one of three New England states in the top 10. It ranks #1 for opportunity. Known for maple syrup, Vermont is also a dairy producing state.
#6 Iowa
Iowa is a farm state and is also known for machinery production. It ranks #3 for opportunity which is its highest ranking. It ranks lowest in economy.
#5 Idaho
Yup, Idaho is well known for its potatoes. But why should anyone want to live in Idaho? It ranks #2 for economy. It ranks #29 for environment. When residents are asked why they love Idaho, many say affordable housing and small town charm.
#4 Minnesota
It's cold in Minnesota. It gets super frigid there. It has more than 11,500 lakes. This could by why it ranks #2 for environment.
#3 Nebraska
Nebraska is an agricultural state at its finest. It ranks #3 for fiscal stability which is the highest ranking it received.
#2 New Hampshire
New Hampshire is the third New England state in the top 10. It's #2 ranking came from being #1 for crime. It was also #7 for economy. Its beautiful scenery makes NH a very calm and peaceful place to live.
