Not all states were created equal.
Some are large. Some are greener than most. Some have lower crime rates or better opportunities.
So how can you tell which is best?
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U.S. News and World Report used more than 70 metrics in eight categories to compare all 50 states and rank them accordingly.
The categories — health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment — were weighted, based on a survey of what means more to people.
Health care and education were weighted most heavily. Natural environment was weighted the least. Each state received a ranking in each category, then an overall position.
Washington took home the trophy, and Louisiana brought up the rear.
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Georgia finished No. 17, which is a subtantial climb from No. 32 in 2018 and No. 36 in 2017. Here’s how the state finished in each category:
- Health care: 39
- Education: 30
- Economy: 11
- Infrastructure: 10
- Oppotunity: 21
- Fiscal stability: 9
- Crime and corrections: 27
- Natural environment: 20
In 2017, Georgia fell into the bottom half in all but two categories — economy and government — and ranked 14 and 15, respectively, in those.
You can read the full report here and the methodology here.
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