Washington Ranked Best State In Annual National Survey

An annual ranking of the best states in America placed Washington at the head of the pack. U.S. News & World Report has assembled the rankings since 2017, measuring each state on 71 metrics and a survey of 50,000 people.

In the survey's first year, Washington ranked fifth, and in 2018 we placed sixth. According to the publication, researchers use thousands of data points to determine how well states are performing for their citizens.

Each state is then ranked based on healthcare, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime, and natural environment. Economic factors that were considered include employment and growth. Infrastructure was judged on energy, internet access, and transportation. The overall ranking is based on the combined performance of those eight categories, with some weighted more heavily than others.

Washington placed in the top 5 in the economy, education, healthcare, and infrastructure categories, but fell to the middle of the pack for fiscal stability.

TOP 5 OVERALL STATE RANKINGS
1) Washington
2) New Hampshire
3) Minnesota
4) Utah
5) Vermont

WASHINGTON STATE PERFORMANCE
Health Care: 4th
Education: 4th
Economy: 3rd
Infrastructure: 2nd
Opportunity: 19th
Fiscal Stability: 22nd
Crime & Corrections: 15th
Natural Environment: 14th

Read the complete rankings and learn more about the study's methodology on the U.S. News & World Report website.