USNWR Best States 2023 Rankings (living, cost, better, crime)

[elchevere]

US News & World Report recently came out with its Best State Rankings. Criteria used included Crime & Corrections, Economy, Education, Fiscal Stability, Health Care, Infrastructure, Natural Environment, and Opportunity.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...tates-rankings

Top 10:


1. Utah
2. Washington
3. Idaho
4. Nebraska
5. Minnesota
6. New Hampshire
7. Iowa
8. Wisconsin
9. Vermont
10. Florida

Other notables:

11. Massachusetts
13. Virginia
15. Colorado
16. Connecticut
17. North Carolina
19 New Jersey
20. New York
21. Georgia
33. California
36. Illinois
40. Pennsylvania

Full rankings:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

[Turnerbro]

I've heard Minnesota and Washington do well in these categories. Wouldn't have expected Nebraska and Iowa to be this high but it is a pleasant surprise. Not surprised by Pennsylvania unfortunately. Also a bit confused by Utah. It's #1 yet ranked #46 in natural environment? I thought that was the reason a lot of people moved there.

[bartonro]

Hmm, I've never really thought of Florida as the number 1 state for education. Maybe it's better than I thought, but I have a hard time believing no other state beats it.

[SteelCityRising]

I'm surprised that Pennsylvania is almost last. I actually think we do well overall. Oh well!

[Turnerbro]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm surprised that Pennsylvania is almost last. I actually think we do well overall. Oh well!

Some parts of the state do well. The rural part of the state has a lot of poverty which is clearly effecting this.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'm surprised that Pennsylvania is almost last. I actually think we do well overall. Oh well!

LOL! My thoughts, too. As we all know, statistics are more of an art than a science. US News is a prime example of that. WalletHub puts PA as the 14th best state to live in; so take your pick as to which is more "valid." https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-live-in/62617

US News also lists NY State as 49th in opportunity--you know, that state with one of the most powerful and lucrative cities in the world. So I rest my case.

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

Some parts of the state do well. The rural part of the state has a lot of poverty which is clearly effecting this.

Certainly there's rural poverty in PA, but the overall poverty rate is very middling (25th out of 50). Based on the weighting, fiscal stability and infrastructure apparently push the state so low. But ironically these are measures where PA is better than it's likely been in decades in 2023.

[jjbradleynyc]

Originally Posted by bartonro

Hmm, I've never really thought of Florida as the number 1 state for education. Maybe it's better than I thought, but I have a hard time believing no other state beats it.

I find this very hard to believe, myself.

In looking at US News and World Report and their methodology for this list, here is what they say they use for education:

EDUCATION

Higher Education

2-Year-College Graduation Rate: The share of students attending public institutions who complete a two-year degree program within three years, or 150% of the normal time. (National Center for Education Statistics; 2018 cohort)
4-Year-College Graduation Rate: The share of undergraduate students at public institutions who initially pursue a bachelor's or equivalent four-year degree and receive one within six years, or 150% of the normal time of study. (National Center for Education Statistics; 2015 cohort)
Population With Advanced Degree: The share of people 25 and older in a state who have an associate degree or higher. (U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 1-year estimates; 2021)
Debt at Graduation: The average amount of debt held by college students graduating from four-year public or private nonprofit institutions. (The Institute for College Access and Success; 2020)
Tuition and Fees: The average college tuition and fees required of in-state students at public four-year institutions, not including room and board. (National Center for Education Statistics; 2020-2021)
Pre-K-12

College Readiness: The approximate percentage of high school graduates who have met benchmarks in the SAT, the ACT or both. (College Board, ACT, U.S. Census Bureau; 2020)
High School Graduation Rate: The four-year adjusted cohort high school graduation rate for public schools. (National Center for Education Statistics; 2019-2020)
NAEP Math Scores: The average composite-scale score on mathematics achievement tests taken by eighth-grade students. (U.S. Department of Education National Assessment of Educational Progress; 2022)
NAEP Reading Scores: The average composite-scale score on reading achievement tests taken by eighth-grade students. (U.S. Department of Education National Assessment of Educational Progress; 2022)
Preschool Enrollment: The percentage of children ages 3 to 4 enrolled in a nursery or preschool program. (U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 1-year estimates; 2021)

I still find it hard to believe that Florida ranks #1 on this.

Especially since I've read some things lately that say Florida students have been learning and comprehending less and less, over the past decade, as compared to other states. It has the nation's worst learning rate.

Source: https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/202...orming-column/

From the source: Florida students learned 12 percent less each year from third to eighth grade than the national average from 2009 to 2018. The next worst state was Alabama, according to The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University. Florida’s political and education leaders completely ignored that finding.

[hotweatherlover1982]

Originally Posted by elchevere

US News & World Report recently came out with its Best State Rankings. Criteria used included Crime & Corrections, Economy, Education, Fiscal Stability, Health Care, Infrastructure, Natural Environment, and Opportunity.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...tates-rankings

Top 10:


1. Utah
2. Washington
3. Idaho
4. Nebraska
5. Minnesota
6. New Hampshire
7. Iowa
8. Wisconsin
9. Vermont
10. Florida

Full rankings:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings

I can't understand why Utah and Idaho are on this list.

The only state that I think out of the top 10 that I can understand would be Washington state and New Hampshire.

Utah is extremely expensive state when one adjusts the cost of the average home compared to per-capita incomes.

The per-capita incomes are very low in Utah and the cost of the average house is very expensive and the state income tax is middle of the road also which does not help Utah either for those who work average-waged jobs.

Idaho also is a very expensive state considering how low the per-capita incomes are.

Omaha and Des Moines are excellent metropolitan areas but with extremely high taxes but the quality of amenities in much of Nebraska and Iowa is quite low.

Omaha and Des Moines have extremely, extremely high taxes also.

Many of the smaller cities in Nebraska do very poorly when it comes cost of housing to per-capita and household income ratio's

[BrooklynJo]

Is US News a credible source? Over the years I’ve grown to add them to my list of sources I do not trust and I’m starting to see them close to wallethub.

I typically do not trust .com websites simply because a lot of them are opinion based websites or bias newspapers

[jennifat]

Originally Posted by Turnerbro

I've heard Minnesota and Washington do well in these categories.

Yes, Minnesota is routinely at the top in terms of quality of living metrics year after year. Despite winters that most Americans consider "apocalyptic", it's a very good place to live.