U.S. News Ranks Utah Best State for 2023
The latest edition of the Best States rankings project finds a new No. 1 and a strong showing from the West and Midwest in the top 10.
Utah has taken the No. 1 spot in U.S. News & World Report’s Best States rankings after Washington held it for two editions in a row, the newly released analysis shows.
Since its inception in 2017, the Best States project has used thousands of data points to capture how all 50 states serve their residents. The rankings team analyzes statistics tied to more than 70 metrics across eight categories, such as health care, education and natural environment.
Buoyed by its top ranking in both the economy and fiscal stability categories, Utah unseated Washington at least in part because of consistency. 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.
Other states near the top of the rankings include Nebraska – which landed in the top 5 – and Iowa and Vermont, both of which cracked the top 10. And while it is no longer considered the best state, Washington moved down just one spot overall, still boasting consistent success across most of the Best States categories.
Find the full list of 10 Best States in the U.S. on the U.S. News website.