MN Ranked Among Top 5 States In U.S., New Analysis Says

MINNESOTA — A new ranking from U.S. News & World Report ranks Minnesota as the fifth best overall in terms of meeting the needs of its citizens.

The rankings, released Tuesday, measure how well states serve residents across 70 metrics in eight categories: the economy, fiscal stability, education, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, opportunity, and crime and corrections.

Weighting of the categories was based on a survey of what matters most to people, with health care and education weighted the most heavily.

Here’s where Minnesota ranked in the categories:

• #22 — Crime & Corrections
• #26 — Economy
• #17 — Education
• #7 — Fiscal Stability
• #16 — Health Care
• #9 — Infrastructure
• #2 — Natural Environment
• #12 — Opportunity

The 10 best states, according to the sixth annual edition of the ranking, are:

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

The lowest-ranked state is Louisiana. Other states that are ranked among the bottom include New Mexico, Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alaska, Alabama and Oklahoma.

Read more about the Best States methodology.