SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Beehive State grabs bragging rights for 2023 after U.S. News & World Report named Utah as the best state in the nation.
USNWR’s annual Best States series uses statistics like healthcare, education, environmental concerns and economic conditions, among others. Utah unseated Washington State from the top spot, after it had topped the charts for the past two years.
“Buoyed by its top ranking in both the economy and fiscal stability categories, Utah unseated Washington at least in part because of consistency,” stated USNWR’s article. “The Beehive State finished in the top 15 in six of the eight categories measured by U.S. News, with a top 20 performance in another.”
Utah’s high ranking however, isn’t perfect. USNWR stated the state performed poorly in areas like “opportunity” and “equality,” particularly in areas of race, gender, and disability status. The state also took hits related to pollution and air and water quality.
The top 10 states in America, as ranked by USNWR are as follows:
- Utah
- Washington
- Idaho
- Nebraska
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- Iowa
- Wisconsin
- Vermont
- Florida
In the eight main categories studied in the rankings, Utah ranked as follows:
- Crime & Corrections — #15
- Corrections Outcomes — #7
- Public Safety — #31
- Economy — #1
- Business Environment — #7
- Employment — #1
- Growth — #2
- Education — #5
- Higher Education — #6
- PreK – 12 — #9
- Fiscal Stability — #1
- Long-Term — #3
- Short-Term — #4
- Health Care — #7
- Access — #12
- Quality — #2
- Public Health — #15
- Infrastructure — #4
- Energy — #15
- Internet Access — #2
- Transportation — #5
- Natural Environment — #46
- Air and Water Quality — #38
- Pollution — #44
- Opportunity — #20
- Affordability — #28
- Economic Opportunity — #7
- Equality — #48
