Whenever I read "best-of" lists, I first check out two things: Who's in first place and who's in last place.
U.S. News recently released a Best States ranking that, in their words, "draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens."
Unfortunately, Louisiana places dead last on this list.
The authors say the ranking was a two-part process. First, they surveyed residents of all 50 states to find out what matters most to them. Then they evaluated each state on those topics people said they most cared about.
Health care and education were weighted most heavily. Then came state economies, infrastructure and the opportunity states offer their residents. Crime and corrections came next in weighting, followed by measures of government fiscal stability and people's quality of life.
That explains why Louisiana, ranked 50th in opportunity and 49th in education, occupies the No. 50 spot.
The state's best performing category was Quality of Life, and even that only came in at No. 42. A sad showing for the state that touts itself as the happiest in the country.
Here's where Louisiana ranked in each category:
- Health care: 47
- Education: 49
- Economy: 44
- Opportunity: 50
- Infrastructure: 44
- Crime and corrections: 48
- Fiscal stability: 48
- Quality of Life: 42
If you dig a little deeper into each category, it becomes clear why the Pelican State fares so poorly in the ranking.
Health care
The state ranks poorly in the following: nursing home quality, infant mortality rate, obesity rate and health care affordability. One bright spot was child wellness visits, in which the state ranks No. 1.
Education
The state scores poorly in reading and math scores, educational attainment and high school graduation rate. In pre-K education quality, however, Louisiana is ranked solidly at No. 6.
Opportunity
The state has a high poverty rate and scores poorly in the areas of income inequity, income gap by race, and food insecurity. Louisiana falls at Nos. 16 and 20 in terms of cost of living and housing affordability.
Read Louisiana's full profile at usnews.com/news/best-states/louisiana.
Top 10 states
Here are the Top 10 states, according to U.S. News:
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Utah
- North Dakota
- New Hampshire
- Washington
- Nebraska
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- Colorado
Bottom 10 states
41. Kentucky
42. South Carolina
43. Oklahoma
44. Alaska
45. Arkansas
46. Alabama
47. West Virginia
48. New Mexico
49. Mississippi
50. Louisiana
Read the full report at usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings.