U.S. News & World Report has ranked Connecticut number 24 on their list of best states.
New Canaan: Connecticut ranked fourth best overall for healthcare, 14th for education, 43rd for economy, 29th for opportunity, 41st for infrastructure, eighth for crime and corrections, 41st for fiscal stability, and 38th for overall quality of life, according to the U.S. News website. The report was published in May of 2018.
States’ overall scores were comprised of eight different categories, each weighted differently –– Health Care (16%), Education (16%), Economy (14%), Opportunity (13%), Infrastructure (12%), Crime and Corrections (11%), Fiscal Stability (10%) and Quality of Life (8%).
Rankings for Health Care looked at “access and affordability” as well as “quality and health outcomes for citizens,” according to U.S. News.
The Opportunity rankings measured states’ levels of poverty, as well as “housing affordability and equality” for women and other minority groups, including people with disabilities.
Education rankings looked at student performance from preschool through high school and different levels of higher education.
Economy rankings tracked unemployment, GDP growth, as well as “migration into the state, patents” and new businesses.
Infrastructure rankings took into account the quality of public transport, broadband power grids, as well as the quality of bridges.
Crime and Corrections rankings were based on public safety as well as the “quality and fairness” of state prison systems, taking into account “racial bias.”
Fiscal Stability rankings noted states’ “government credit ratings, liquidity, pension fund liability” and how well states were able to balance their respective budgets.
Quality of Life rankings were based upon pollution levels, air quality, voter participation levels and “social support,” according to U.S. News.
#1 and #50
Iowa ranked number one on the list of states due to the higher weights in Health Care and Education (it placed 3rd and 5th best respectively) as well as its placing first in Infrastructure.
Louisiana was ranked last on the list due to low rankings throughout the categories, specifically placing 49th in Education and 47th in Health Care, as well as 50th in Opportunity.
The report, along with the complete list of rankings, can be found at usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings.