Good schools, health care access and job opportunities are just a few factors Americans take into account when deciding which state to call home. Some states, however, do a better job than others when it comes to serving residents and providing for communities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual best states ranking released Tuesday.
Maryland ranked 22nd out of all 50 states, reflecting a mix of rankings. While the state received high marks for health care, natural environment and level of crime, it earned low scores for its economy, infrastructure.
The 2023 rankings show that Utah is the No. 1 state in the country. The state earned the spot because it ranked among the top 20 states in seven of the eight categories.
Following Utah in the overall rankings are Washington at No. 2 and Idaho at No. 3.
U.S. News ranks each state using more than 70 metrics across eight categories: health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment. The state’s overall ranking is based on the weighted average of the state’s individual rankings in the eight categories.
According to researchers, some categories, like education and health care, are given more weight in the rankings because they matter more to residents.
Here’s how Maryland ranked in the eight categories:
- Health care: 4
- Education: 23
- Economy: 42
- Infrastructure: 39
- Opportunity: 28
- Fiscal stability: 28
- Crime and corrections: 14
- Natural environment: 5
