Pennsylvania Ranked 40th In Best States Report: Here’s Why

Pennsylvania is the 40th best in the country in a new ranking Wednesday that shows how well states are working for the people who live there.

Rather than focus on any one issue, U.S. News & World Report pulled together dozens of measures covering health care, education, the economy, infrastructure, public safety, opportunity and other factors that shape everyday life for its 2026 Best States Rankings.

To determine the rankings, categories were weighted differently according to a public survey on key priorities. The most critical areas identified were healthcare and education, receiving the highest importance.

These were followed by state economies, infrastructure, and citizen opportunity. Fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and the natural environment were also factored in, with fiscal stability carrying slightly more weight than the latter two.

The land of Pennsylvania was granted to William Penn, son of Admiral William Penn, who had been given the charter by King Charles II in 1681 to pay a £16,000 debt. The land was named by the king in honor of the elder Penn — it meant "Penn’s Woods."

Pennsylvania has been one of the nation's most important industrial centers for coal, steel and railroads, especially before World War II.

The state is today among the country’s largest producers of canned fruit and vegetable-specialty products, chocolate and cocoa products, potato chips and pretzels, and is home to the “Snack Food Capital of the World.”

Here’s where Pennsylvania ranked in the following categories:

Crime and corrections: No. 17

Education: No. 35

Health care: No. 11

Natural environment: No. 37

Economy: No. 47

Fiscal stability: No. 42

Infrastructure: No. 43

Opportunity: No. 23

The top 10 states in the U.S. News ranking are, respectively, Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Idaho, Florida, Washington and Vermont.