The U.S. News and World Report has just released the top 25 cities that offer the highest quality of life, with Iowa ranking as one of the top 10 best states in America. The rankings, designed to give people insight into a state’s strengths and areas for improvement, show how states best serve their citizens in categories such as health care, education, and the economy.
Iowa, ranking sixth overall, joins neighboring states Minnesota and Nebraska in the top 10. The state performed well in categories such as opportunity and infrastructure, ranking third and tenth respectively. While Iowa’s ranking for 2024 is an improvement over the previous year, it was ranked number one in 2018.
The top 10 overall best states in America for 2024 include Utah, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Minnesota, Idaho, Iowa, Vermont, Washington, Florida, and Massachusetts. Utah was crowned the best state overall, excelling in all but one category.
U.S. News & World Report uses 71 metrics across eight categories to determine the best states in the U.S., with each category weighted based on what matters most to people. Metrics include data on health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and the natural environment.
While national trends show improvements in metrics such as health insurance enrollment and juvenile incarceration rates, there are areas where people’s lives are not improving, such as poor mental health and rising tuition fees at public colleges.
Overall, the rankings provide valuable insight for citizens as they prepare to vote in upcoming elections, helping them understand where states excel and where improvements are needed.