Ohio rank — ‘We’re 35th’— doesn’t roll off the tongue
You’ve seen the best colleges rankings and the listings of best hospitals. Now, U.S. news& World Report is rolling out a new “Best States” rankings
— and Ohio does not farewell.
Ohio comes in 35th out of 50 stateswhen it comes to a wideswathofmeasurements such as education, health, energy, jobs and transportation, according toU.S. News & World Report inaugural “Best States” report.
Ohio received poor marks when it came to infrastructure, higher education, corrections and public health. But it landed the top ranking when it comes to affordability, budget transparency and government digitalization.
U.S. News, which is wellknown for its rankings of colleges and hospitals, evaluated states on 68 metrics and says it’s a “comprehensive effort to provide citizens with a full picture of what’s working and what needs to be improved in their states.”
Data analyzed include eighth grade reading scores, graduation rates, average commute times, parole completions, percentage of households below the poverty line, patents granted per capita, labor force participation rates, violent crime and more.
The top five states in the overall rankings: Massachusetts, NewHampshire, Minnesota, North Dakota and Washington.
The bottom five are: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and New Mexico.
The metrics areweighted according to what citizens say they value the most — health care and education top the list. Massachusetts scored well because it has the most educated population and the best access to health care, U.S. News said.
The report concluded that all the states need to improve when it comes to state integrity, which measures howwell they prevent corruption through public access to information, judicial accountabilityandmore. Alaska earned the highest grade — a C — and 11 states failed, the report said.