Louisiana is now three for three in being recognized as the worst state based on health care, education, infrastructure, crime and other quality-of-life measures, according to a national analysis released this week.
U.S. News & World Report, known for consumer-focused rankings on education, health care and other factors, released its third annual "Best States" list Tuesday. The feature was launched in 2017 to provide insight into how states stack up in specific areas of interest.
In addition to coming in 50th overall each time the report has been released, Louisiana this year also ranked 50th compared to all others in individual analyses on crime, opportunity and the environment. Other categories scored included the state's economy (49th), education (48th), fiscal stability (43rd), health care (45th) and infrastructure (48th).
“As people are increasingly concerned about income disparities, rising health care costs, gaps in education and crumbling infrastructure, it’s more important than ever to focus on the day-to-day policies that affect people where they live their lives,” said Eric Gertler, executive chairman at U.S. News. “In conjunction with objective data and trusted journalism on state performance, the rankings fills the gap in local reporting for the benefit of residents, business leaders, decision-makers and government officials.”
Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia and New Mexico rounded out the bottom of the list.
At the top: Washington, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Utah and Vermont.
According to U.S. News, the "Best States" methodology was streamlined this year "to reflect more objective, transparent and comparable data across the framework."
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