World news and discussion on TalkFuse.
List of ‘best’ states released by US News. These 5 rank as the very worst
U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 “Best States” ranking placed five states at the bottom overall, assessing how well states perform for residents across public services, the economy and quality-of-life measures.
– West Virginia ranked 46th. – Alaska ranked 47th. – Mississippi ranked 48th. – New Mexico ranked 49th. – Louisiana ranked 50th, last among all 50 states; the ranking combined 71 measures across eight categories, including healthcare, education, economy, infrastructure and opportunity.
In short
- Louisiana ranked last overall.
- New Mexico and Mississippi also finished near the bottom.
- Rankings assessed 71 measures across eight categories.
Explained simply
U.S. News & World Report publishes an annual "Best States" ranking that evaluates how well all fifty American states serve their residents. The ranking examines a broad range of factors including healthcare, education, the economy, infrastructure and opportunity, combining scores across 71 different measures to produce an overall ranking for each state.
These rankings are widely followed by policymakers, residents considering where to move, and analysts tracking regional performance. The results can influence how states are perceived and may affect decisions about investment, relocation and policy priorities.
Each state receives an overall ranking from 1 (best) to 50 (worst) based on its combined performance across the various measures. A state's position reflects how it compares to other states across these different categories rather than representing any absolute measure of quality.