Louisiana Ranks Dead Last for Second Year in a Row in “Best States” Report
Louisiana has once again found itself at the bottom of the list in the annual “Best States” rankings released by U.S. News and World Report. For the second consecutive year, the state has been ranked dead last, coming in at #50 out of 50 states.
The rankings are based on specific criteria including crime and corrections, economy, education, fiscal stability, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, and opportunity. Louisiana saw some minor improvements in economy and opportunity this year, but there were no improvements in infrastructure, natural environment, or healthcare.
Despite not seeing any improvement in crime and corrections, Louisiana did not rank last in public safety. New Mexico was named the most dangerous state in the country due to its high rate of violent crime. Louisiana followed closely behind New Mexico in terms of violent crime rate.
In terms of fiscal stability, Louisiana actually worsened this year, dropping from #38 to #41 in the rankings. Overall, Louisiana joins several other states, including South Carolina, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Alabama, as the lowest-ranking states in the report.
On the other end of the spectrum, Utah was once again named the best state in the country, with strong rankings across the board. Florida was the only southern state to make it into the top ten, receiving high marks for its education system.
The full Best States report can be viewed on the U.S. News website. Louisiana will need to address its shortcomings in various areas in order to improve its ranking in future reports.