Massachusetts drops in best states ranking

Massachusetts is no longer the best state to live in according to U.S. News & World Report.

Massachusetts  managed to stay in the top ten but dropped down to eighth. Iowa came in at number one with Minnesota, Utah, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Washington, Nebraska, Vermont and Colorado rounding out the top 10 rankings.

Despite the lower ranking, Massachusetts still ranked number one in education and fifth in health care and crime/corrections. Forty fifth in infrastructure and fortieth in fiscal stability along with ranking twenty fifth in a new category, quality of life, was a detriment to the state’s ranking.

According to U.S. News & World Report, the Best States ranking of U.S. states draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, the opportunity and quality of life it offers people, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety and the fiscal stability of state government.

More weight was applied to some state measures than others, based on a survey of what matters most to people. Health care and education were weighted the most heavily. Then came state economies, the opportunity states offer their citizens and infrastructure. Crime & corrections followed closely in weighting, followed by measures of government fiscal stability and people’s quality of life.

For more information on the overall rankings and the criteria used, go here:

Best States Ranking