JACKSON, Mississippi — Mississippi did not fare well in a new national ranking which was released Tuesday.
The Magnolia State was ranked 49th in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best States rankings. The top ranked state was Washington, and Louisiana was ranked 50th. Arkansas clocked in at number 44, and Tennessee ranked 29th.
Of the main categories cited, Mississippi finished dead last in health care, 49th in economy, and 48th in infrastructure.
Here is how U.S. News & World Report described its rankings:
U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its 2021 Best States rankings – analyzing how well states serve their residents in a variety of ways as the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend life throughout the nation.
For the second time in a row, Washington has been ranked as the best state in the nation. As in previous years, U.S. News ranked all 50 states based on data within 71 metrics across eight categories, such as education, health care and opportunity.
New this year, U.S. News has compiled data related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the country enters its second year of enduring the crisis. We have also explored just how badly the pandemic has damaged states' economies and budgets.
The Best States project seeks to inform citizens, business leaders and policymakers about what's working and what isn't in each state across the nation. To learn more about why and how we do it, read our guide to understanding the rankings.
Some states shine in health care. Some soar in education. Some excel in both – or in much more. 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, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents.
More weight was accorded to some state measures than others, based on a survey of what matters most to people. Health care and education were weighted most heavily. Then came state economies, infrastructure, and the opportunity states offer their citizens. Fiscal stability followed closely in weighting, followed by measures of crime and corrections and a state's natural environment.
What is Best States?
Best States is a unique rankings and news analysis platform designed to inform citizens, business leaders and policymakers alike about what's working and what needs improvement across the country.
The project includes rankings that measure the 50 states overall across eight different categories: health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime & corrections, fiscal stability and natural environment. The rankings are derived from 71 metrics and thousands of data points.
In addition to rankings, the platform offers expert commentary, news analysis and storytelling to highlight the issues, insights and best practices that matter most for states.
Why rank states?
U.S. News & World Report created the Best States rankings to provide a platform for citizens, government leaders and business executives alike to compare and better understand the issues, insights and best practices that matter most for states.
Like U.S. News' Best Countries franchise and the Healthiest Communities platform, Best States gives readers a way to analyze the world around them. It shows which state policies are working and which can be improved, and encourages citizens to interact more with their governments to promote positive change.
How is this different from other state rankings?
Other state rankings tend to focus on a very narrow set of issues, such as the business or tax environment of a state or the education and health care offered there.
U.S. News Best States, launched in 2017, is the first comprehensive effort to gauge how states perform across a wide array of issues. This project provides citizens with a full picture of state performance.
How were the states ranked?
The overall Best States ranking is determined by each of the 50 U.S. states' rankings in eight main categories: health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime & corrections and natural environment. The rankings are based on thousands of data points gathered by U.S. News, largely from government and publicly available sources.
