‘Best States’ Analysis Ranks PA at 40th Position
Pennsylvania’s Position in the U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best States’ Analysis
Pennsylvania, in the latest U.S. News & World Report’s ‘Best States’ analysis, finds itself at the 40th position amongst the 50 states. Despite its lower-tier overall ranking, Pennsylvania undoubtedly shines in the health care category.
Evaluating States on Multiple Categories
This comprehensive ‘Best States’ analysis measures the performance of states across 70 different metrics, divided into eight categories: economy, fiscal stability, education, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, opportunity, and crime & corrections. This evaluation gives a detailed account of how well states are serving their residents.
Health care and education are the categories given the most weight, reflecting what matters most to people, as per the survey used to weight these categories.
Breakdown of Pennsylvania’s Ranking in Each Category
Here’s a closer look at Pennsylvania’s performance in each of the eight categories:
- Health care: 11th
- Education: 39th
- Economy: 41st
- Fiscal stability: 44th
- Infrastructure: 43rd
- Natural environment: 37th
- Crime and corrections: 16th
- Opportunity: 24th
Pennsylvania’s Industrial Significance
U.S. News recognizes Pennsylvania’s historical importance in the industrial sector, particularly in steel, coal, and railroads. As of today, the state is among the largest producers of canned fruits and vegetables, chocolate, cocoa products, potato chips, pretzels, and even houses the ‘Snack Food Capital of the World’.
The top 10 states, according to the sixth annual edition of these rankings, are as follows:
- Utah
- New Hampshire
- Nebraska
- Minnesota
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Vermont
- Washington
- Florida
- Massachusetts
On the flip side, Louisiana ranks as the lowest amongst all states. Other states sharing the lower ranks include New Mexico, Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alaska, Alabama, and Oklahoma.
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