Here’s How Missouri Ranks Among Best States To Live

MISSOURI — Missouri has been ranked the 36th best place to live in the country, according to a new report that looked at three socioeconomic factors. The financial news and opinion site 24/7 Wall St. ranked every state and published the results Friday. The rankings were based on an index that measured the poverty rate, life expectancy at birth and percentage of adults who have at least a bachelor’s degree.

These metrics, the authors said, effectively sum up quality of life when it comes to health and prosperity. The Show-Me State fell between Ohio and North Carolina in the rankings. Here’s what the author’s found for our state:

• Ten-year population change: +4 percent
• Yearly unemployment: 3.8 percent
• Poverty rate: 13.4 percent
• Life expectancy at birth: 77.7 years

Here’s what the authors wrote:

Missouri has one of the shorter state life expectancies. An average Missourian born today can expect to live 77.7 years, more than a full year less than the U.S. life expectancy. The state ranks as one of the worst in a number of health factors, including preventable hospitalization, a measure which is often used as a proxy for the quality of medical care in an area.

Missouri ranks as the 15th worst state in which to live, but in one of the three measures used in the index, the Show Me State actually compares favorably to other states that rank as among the worst places to live. The state’s 13.4% poverty rate is in line with the national rate. Missouri’s population grew 4% between 2007 and 2017, half the national growth rate. Slow population growth can signify that a state is a less desirable place to live than other states.

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Massachusetts was ranked the No. 1 place to live in America. While there are many reasons the Bay State topped the list, the authors highlighted its status as the most educated state in the country, with more than 43 percent of adults holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

“This high level of educational attainment sets these residents up for higher paying positions in their career,” the report said.

Massachusetts also had the fourth highest median household income at $77,385 a year and boasts a poverty rate of 10.5 percent, well below the national rate of 13.4 percent.

New England performed particularly well in the rankings, with New Hampshire, Connecticut and Vermont all cracking the top 10.

Here are the top 10 states to live in, according to 24/7 Wall St.

1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Connecticut
4. Colorado
5. Minnesota
6. New Jersey
7. Hawaii
8. Maryland
9. Vermont
10. Utah

On the flip side, several states in the South ranked as the worst places to live. Mississippi was ranked dead last with slow population growth and high unemployment, as well as the highest poverty rate and shortest life expectancy in the country.

“Mississippi is the worst state to live in because it ranks last in a number of important measures that determine overall quality of life in a state,” the authors wrote.

The state’s life expectancy — 74.9 years — was more than four years below the national life expectancy, the authors noted. This is likely due in large part to “suboptimal access to and quality of health care,” they said.

Mississippi also had the fewest primary care physicians per capita and the third highest rate of preventable hospitalizations.

West Virginia, Louisiana, Alabama and Kentucky rounded out the bottom five states, followed by Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Tennessee and South Carolina.

24/7 Wall St. said rates for poverty and bachelor degree attainment came from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 American Community Survey. Life expectancy figures came from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation and were from 2014, the latest year data was available. Unemployment rates came from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and were yearly for 2017.

Read more from 24/7 Wall St.

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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