Top U.S. States Ranked In New Analysis: How Virginia Fares

VIRGINIA — A new ranking from U.S. News & World Report ranks Virginia as the 13th best overall in terms of meeting the needs of its citizens.

The rankings, released Tuesday, measure how well states serve residents across 70 metrics in eight categories: the economy, fiscal stability, education, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, opportunity, and crime and corrections.

Weighting of the categories was based on a survey of what matters most to people, with health care and education weighted the most heavily.

Here’s where Virginia ranked in the categories:

Health care, No. 15
Education, No. 10
Economy, No. 16
Fiscal stability, No. 24
Infrastructure, No. 38
Natural environment, No. 16
Crime and corrections, No. 11
Opportunity, No. 28

Virginia's education ranking was supported by an 89.1 percent high school graduation rate, above the national average of 85.9. Its National Assessment of Educational Progress math scores of 279 were also above the national average of 274. Its average debt at college graduation was $14,910, which is more than the national average of $14,086.

On crime and corrections, Virginia's violent crime rate of 234 per 100,000 residents is lower than the 381 per 100,000 national average. The incarceration rate of 312 per 100,000 is similar to the 311 per 100,000 national average, but the 28 per 100,000 juveniles incarcerated is below the 39 per 100,000 national average.

The 10 best states, according to the sixth annual edition of the ranking, are:

1. Utah
2. New Hampshire
3. Nebraska
4. Minnesota
5. Idaho
6. Iowa
7. Vermont
8. Washington
9. Florida
10. Massachusetts

The lowest-ranked state is Louisiana. Other states that are ranked among the bottom include New Mexico, Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alaska, Alabama and Oklahoma.

Read more about the Best States methodology.