US News ranks Florida 13th best state to live

Florida was ranked the 13th best state in the nation, based on criteria such as health care, public education and economic growth, according to a new analysis by U.S. News. Louisiana placed last.

The ranking included more than 70 metrics aimed at measuring how well states are working on behalf of their residents, according to U.S. News. Weighted most heavily in the analysis was health care quality, access and affordability, followed by the performance of their K-12 schools and higher education systems.

Florida ranked 29th among the states on health care, third on education, ninth on its economy and 14th on infrastructure.

By comparison, Louisiana ranked 45th on health care, 48th on education, 49th on its economy and 48th on infrastructure.

Criteria measured by the study included unemployment rates and gross domestic product growth; the condition of roads, bridges, electricity grids and transit options; and air and water quality.

U.S. News’ data came from both government and private sources, plus proprietary information from a countrywide survey.

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50-state ranking

Rank	State	Health Care	Education	Economy	Infrastructure	Opportunity	Fiscal Stability	Crime & Corrections	Natural environment
1	Washington	4	4	3	2	19	22	15	14
2	New Hampshire	16	5	13	31	1	10	1	4
3	Minnesota	10	17	18	6	3	25	16	3
4	Utah	9	10	2	3	24	5	12	49
5	Vermont	11	8	29	28	10	19	2	7
6	Maryland	8	13	26	21	5	15	22	25
7	Virginia	18	7	25	35	9	8	9	18
8	Massachusetts	2	1	7	44	29	30	4	26
9	Nebraska	27	6	21	9	15	7	24	27
10	Colorado	12	11	1	8	28	29	29	31
11	Wisconsin	14	14	24	30	6	14	30	10
12	New Jersey	6	2	31	34	8	49	6	13
13	Florida	29	3	9	14	38	2	31	21
14	Iowa	20	9	32	23	2	17	19	32
15	North Dakota	38	20	35	5	4	13	18	28
16	Idaho	26	33	6	29	35	11	8	15
17	Georgia	39	30	11	10	21	9	27	20
18	North Carolina	30	25	14	18	36	4	14	36
19	California	7	21	4	32	49	42	23	5
20	South Dakota	32	18	27	16	34	3	40	2
21	Connecticut	3	12	30	46	33	46	7	6
22	Kansas	33	15	36	7	16	35	32	8
23	Delaware	15	23	17	19	23	18	36	47
24	Hawaii	1	29	40	12	46	36	5	16
25	New York	13	22	33	22	47	26	10	24
26	Rhode Island	5	41	20	49	31	31	13	1
27	Oregon	17	36	5	1	43	40	38	30
28	Missouri	41	27	23	25	11	16	44	9
29	Montana	28	26	22	20	42	24	25	22
30	Tennessee	43	35	12	13	26	1	43	37
31	Wyoming	42	16	42	15	22	39	17	17
32	Maine	19	28	37	42	27	28	3	39
33	Michigan	24	37	19	41	14	27	35	29
34	Arizona	23	40	10	11	40	33	42	33
35	Illinois	22	19	41	24	17	50	20	43
36	Indiana	40	24	28	37	12	6	34	48
37	Nevada	31	45	8	4	37	37	39	46
38	Texas	37	34	15	33	39	12	33	40
39	Ohio	35	31	38	27	7	41	28	44
40	Kentucky	44	38	39	26	20	45	11	12
41	Pennsylvania	21	32	44	43	13	38	37	38
42	South Carolina	36	43	16	36	41	20	46	34
43	Oklahoma	47	39	34	39	25	32	41	42
44	Alaska	25	47	46	40	18	48	48	45
45	Arkansas	49	42	43	47	32	21	47	19
46	New Mexico	34	49	47	17	48	47	49	23
47	West Virginia	48	44	50	50	30	34	21	41
48	Mississippi	50	46	48	45	44	44	26	11
49	Alabama	46	50	45	38	45	23	45	35
50	Louisiana	45	48	49	48	50	43	50	50

Source: U.S. News

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