Rhode Island is the 33rd 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 health care 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.
Rhode Island places high in health care and the natural environment, but not so great in infrastructure and fiscal stability.
"Rhode Island's independent streak – it was the only state to reject ratification of the 18th Amendment banning the manufacture and sale of alcohol in 1920 – dates back to its 17th century roots as the land of self-governance and individual freedoms," U.S. News and World Report said of the Ocean State.
Here's where Rhode Island ranked in the following categories:
Crime and corrections: No. nine
Education: No. 31
Health care: No. 4
Natural environment: No. 8
Economy: No. 31
Fiscal stability: No. 46
Infrastructure: No. 47
Opportunity: No. 36
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.
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