Minnesota has topped the charts in a new national ranking of the best states for summer road trips, according to a report released Monday by the personal-finance company WalletHub.
The company compared all 50 states across 32 metrics, including attraction counts, hotel and gas prices, and road quality and safety data.
Minnesota claimed the No. 1 spot overall, edging out Utah and Louisiana for the top ranking.
"Minnesota is the best state for summer road trips, and it's great for people who want to be outdoors because it has the fourth-highest spending per capita on parks and recreation," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement.
The state also ranked fourth nationally for fairs and festivals per capita during the summer, Lupo said.
Safety was another standout. Minnesota placed second nationally for fewest vehicle fatalities per 100 million miles traveled, fourth in bridge quality, and ninth lowest for speeding prevalence, according to the report.
On the affordability side, Minnesota ranked 11th for lowest three-star hotel prices in mid-July and 13th for lowest car repair costs.
Top 10:
Bottom 10:
41. New Hampshire
42. Montana
43. New Mexico
44. Massachusetts
45. Vermont
46. Maryland
47. California
48. Connecticut
49. Delaware
50. Rhode Island
Check out the full study here.
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