Here’s where Washington lands on the 2024 ‘Best States rankings’

This week, Seattle ranked as the ‘smartest city‘ in the nation. And now, the 2024 Best States rankings has placed Washington in its top 10. Let’s look at the details!

Released by the U.S. News & World Report, the 2024 Best States rankings “evaluated all 50 states to capture how states best serve their citizens across a range of categories, including health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime & corrections and natural environment.”

According to the sixth edition of the ranking, it looked at more than 70 metrics and tens of thousands of data points to measure how well U.S. states are performing for their citizens.

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“In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economic growth; its roads, bridges, internet access and other infrastructure; its public safety record; the fiscal stability of state government; and the opportunity it affords its residents. More weight was accorded to some metric categories than others, based on surveys of what matters most to residents,” reads the report.

While Utah ranked the top state, followed by New Hampshire in second and Nebraska at third, Washington came in 8th place.

In its report, U.S. News says that Washington is “an outdoor enthusiast’s dream,” listing its geological diversity that includes mountains, deserts, rainforests, and a Pacific coastline.

It also attributes part of its ranking to being the birth place of companies like Starbucks, The Boeing Co. and Microsoft Corp.

“Additionally, Washington is crucial to the nation’s food and agriculture industry, producing many of the country’s apples, and is also a leader in milk, potato and cattle production,” it states.

Wondering who else made the list?

Here is the 2024 Best States Rankings, according to U.S. News:

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

Are you surprised? You can see the report here.