Washington ranked as the #1 state in a new study 

Washington was ranked as the best state in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in a new study. 

Washington has held the top ranking since 2019.

The study by the company ranked all 50 states on a number of criteria, such as health care, opportunity, the economy and education. 

“I am so happy for the people of Washington to take home this honor again. It takes all 7.6 million of us to make this state the dynamic place it truly is. Washingtonians are motivated to lead and innovate in all aspects of our society, in labor, business, education, health, and so much more,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “It was that same spirit that helped us bounce back from being the first state in the nation hit by COVID-19, and we are on our way to a robust recovery because of our unique attributes.”

In the study, Washington ranked high in Education, Economy, Infrastructure, and other categories, although was ranked #19 in Crime & Corrections and #25 in Opportunity.

In sub-categories, the state was ranked as #2 in Energy, and highlighted with our 46% Renewable Energy Usage.

The lowest category that Washington ranked in was Affordability, sitting at #44 among the 50 states.

While Poverty Rate and Median Household Income both were higher than the national average, the state has a higher score on the Cost of Living Index.

Minnesota, Utah, New Hampshire, and Idaho round out the Top 5, while Louisiana, Mississippi, and New Mexico were ranked at the bottom of the list.

Full report on State of Washington