PA Ranks 40th In New 'Best States' List From U.S. News: See Details

PENNSYLVANIA — Good schools, health care access and job opportunities are just a few factors Americans take into account when deciding which state to call home. Some states, however, do a better job than others when it comes to serving residents and providing for communities, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual best states ranking released Tuesday.

Pennsylvania ranked 40 out of all 50 states overall, and is the 10th-best state for healthcare according to the rankings. The Keystone State ranked in the bottom five in the nation for both fiscal stability and infrastructure.

The 2023 rankings show that Utah is the No. 1 state in the country. The state earned the spot because it ranked among the top 20 states in seven of the eight categories.

Following Utah in the overall rankings are Washington at No. 2 and Idaho at No. 3.

U.S. News ranks each state using more than 70 metrics across eight categories: health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment. The state’s overall ranking is based on the weighted average of the state’s individual rankings in the eight categories.

According to researchers, some categories, like education and health care, are given more weight in the rankings because they matter more to residents.

Here’s how Pennsylvania ranked in the eight categories:

• Health care: 10
• Education: 36
• Economy: 38
• Infrastructure: 46
• Opportunity: 17
• Fiscal stability: 47
• Crime and corrections: 29
• Natural environment: 35

Top-performing states in each category include:

• Health care: Hawaii
• Education: Florida
• Economy: Utah
• Infrastructure: Minnesota
• Opportunity: New Hampshire
• Fiscal stability: Utah
• Crime and corrections: New Hampshire
• Natural environment: Hawaii

This year’s report noted the national mortality rate increased by 23 percent, rising from 715.2 per 100,000 in 2019 to 879.7 per 100,000 two years later. The leading cause of death in states was heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19, researchers said, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hawaii had the lowest mortality rate in 2021, while West Virginia had the highest.

This year’s report also revealed systemic flaws in equality by state. In all states, women are 90 percent as likely as men to work. For every $1 earned by white workers, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and other people of color only make 63.9 cents.

Here's a closer look at some of the components measured in the ranking, and how Pennsylvania scored(these are weighted differently to calculate the overall ranking):

Healthcare (10th overall)

• Access: 6
• Public health: 25
• Healthcare quality: 10

Education (36th overall)

• Higher education: 50
• Pre-K through 12th grade: 19

Economy (38th overall)

• Business environment: 31
• Employment: 43
• Growth: 36

Infrastructure (46th overall)

• Energy: 34
• Internet: 45
• Transportation: 47

Opportunity (17th overall)

• Affordability: 27
• Equality: 17
• Economic opportunity: 25

Fiscal Stability (47th overall)

• Long-term: 46
• Short-term: 46

Crime and Corrections (29th overall)

• Public safety: 18
• Corrections: 42

Environment (35th overall)

• Air and water quality: 37
• Pollution: 30