Is Florida the best US state? US News releases 2025 report, here are their best and worst
How can you possibly decide which is the best U.S. state? There are so many variables to consider.
There are 71, to be precise.
That's how many different metrics across eight categories that U.S. News & World Report used to determine its 7th annual Best States list, released Tuesday, May 6. Florida was ranked a very respectable 6th , up from 9th last year .
The absolute best state was Utah, for the third year running.
But Florida had the single best economy in the nation and came in at No. 2 in education, down from first in 2024. We plummeted toward the bottom of the list for affordability, though. Florida was also the only southern state to make the top 10 on the list.
Gov. Ron DeSantis was quick to point out the state's economic ranking and that Florida was No. 1 in higher education for the 9th year in a row.
"Great momentum!" he said in a post to X Tuesday morning.
What is the best state in the U.S.?
According to U.S. News' analysis of each state's economy, infrastructure (roads, bridges, internet, etc), education, health care, crime and corrections, natural environment, the fiscal stability of state government, and the opportunity it affords its residents, the top ten states are:
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Utah
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New Hampshire
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Idaho
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Minnesota
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Nebraska
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Florida
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Vermont
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South Dakota
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Masaschusetts
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Washington
How did Florida rank in the US News Best States list?
Overall, Florida was ranked No. 6. Here's how that breaks down.
We placed at No. 13 in this overall category, and we were 18th in both Corrections Outcomes and Public Safety.
Top state for Crime & Corrections? New Hampshire . Worst: Louisiana .
Florida's economy was named the best in the country, U.S. News said, mostly based on growth (which was also ranked the best in the country). The Sunshine State also ranked 16th in both Employment and Business Environment.
The state with the worst economy? Louisiana .
Florida was No. 2 for education, behind New Jersey. We were ranked No. 1 for Higher Education, and 22nd for Pre-K-12.
The state with the worst education? New Mexico .
The Sunshine State ranked No. 9 for the fiscal stability of our government. Florida was named No. 13 for Long-Term Fiscal Stability and No. 17 for Short-Term Fiscal Stability.
Top state for fiscal stability? Utah . Worst state: Illinois .
The state dropped a bit in the rankings here, coming in at No. 22. Florida was ranked 12th for Health Care Quality, 14th for public health, but a dismal 43rd in Health Care Access.
Top state for health care? Hawaii . Worst state: Mississippi .
No. 15, here. Florida was 18th in Energy, 16th in Internet Access, and 22nd in Transportation.
Top state for infrastructure? Nebraska . Worst state: West Virginia .
Florida ranked 12th overall for natural environment. We were great in Air & Water Quality (No. 6) but less so in Pollution (No. 26).
Top state for natural environment? Hawaii . Worst state: Indiana .
Despite our strong showing in the economy, when it came to Florida's economic opportunity, affordability and equality, we were down by the bottom. Florida ranked No. 47 overall, and we were 44th in Affordability, 35th in Economic Opportunity and 17th in Equality.
Top state for opportunity? Vermont . Worst state: California .
What is the worst state in the country, according to US News' 2025 ranking?
Here are the states that ranked the lowest in U.S. News' rankings.
45. Alabama:The state wasn't the worst in any category but it was 44th in Education and 40th in Health Care, and no categories were ranked above No. 29 (Crime & Corrections).
46. West Virginia:Infrastructure was ranked the worst here at No. 50, second-to-last for Health Care, and 47th in both Education and Economy. However, it was No. 24 in Fiscal Stability, 19th in Crime & Corrections and 9th in Opportunity.
47. New Mexico:The state was No. 50 in Education, 49th in Crime & Corrections and 42nd in Infrastructure, with average-to-low rankings for the rest.
48. Mississippi:Ranked the worst for Health Care, Mississippi also scored among the lowest for Fiscal Stability (47th) and Infrastructure (47th). It was 20th in Crime & Corrections, though.
49. Alaska: While it was higher in Health Care (29th), Alaska scored 49th in Education and in the 40s for Crime & Corrections, 46th in Infrastructure, 45th in Economy, and 44th in Fiscal Stability.
50. Louisiana:The state was ranked 50th in Crime & Corrections, 50th in Economy, 49th in Natural Environment, 48th in Infrastructure, and in the 40s for everything else.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: US News Best States ranks Florida. Are among best or worst states?
