America's Dashboard
Ranking & scoring all 50 US states across 11 categories β economy, safety, health, education, outdoor access, transportation, livability, and more β powered by real government data from BLS, Census Bureau, FBI, and NPS.
Best Places to Live
βSee which states score highest overall for quality of life, safety, and affordability.
Full Rankings
βSort all 50 states by any category β economy, health, education, safety, and more.
Explore Cities
βBrowse 1,000 cities. Search, filter by state, and compare metro-level data.
Composite Score by State
Top 5 States
Average Score by Region
Top 5 States β 12-Month Score Trend
All 50 States
| # | State | Grade | ScoreβΌ | π° Econ | π‘οΈ Safety | π₯ Health | π Edu | πΌ Unemp | π΅ Income | π Crime | Lean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | A+ | 87.6 | 84.5 | 92.0 | 100.0 | 91.8 | 2.8% | $97,880 | 110 | D+5 |
| 2 | Utah | A+ | 82.4 | 68.7 | 76.3 | 91.8 | 93.9 | 3.2% | $87,804 | 228 | R+15 |
| 3 | South Dakota | A+ | 81.0 | 70.3 | 62.7 | 53.1 | 89.8 | 2% | $72,280 | 330 | R+20 |
| 4 | Vermont | A+ | 78.8 | 62.9 | 78.9 | 95.9 | 73.5 | 2.7% | $74,919 | 208 | D+20 |
| 5 | Minnesota | A+ | 78.1 | 63.6 | 72.5 | 89.8 | 87.8 | 3.4% | $85,551 | 256 | D+5 |
| 6 | North Dakota | A | 78.1 | 67.7 | 71.1 | 65.3 | 81.6 | 2.2% | $72,583 | 267 | R+20 |
| 7 | Maine | A | 78.0 | 49.7 | 93.3 | 79.6 | 75.5 | 3.2% | $68,810 | 100 | D+5 |
| 8 | Nebraska | A | 75.3 | 60.0 | 68.0 | 71.4 | 83.7 | 2.8% | $73,423 | 290 | R+15 |
| 9 | Virginia | A | 75.2 | 72.2 | 79.9 | 77.6 | 81.6 | 2.9% | $87,106 | 201 | D+5 |
| 10 | Connecticut | A | 74.2 | 59.8 | 88.5 | 93.9 | 98.0 | 4.2% | $93,228 | 136 | D+10 |
| 11 | Montana | B+ | 72.1 | 46.1 | 56.4 | 61.2 | 61.2 | 3.7% | $72,340 | 377 | R+10 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | B+ | 71.0 | 57.9 | 60.7 | 98.0 | 100.0 | 4.9% | $101,370 | 345 | D+20 |
| 13 | Idaho | B+ | 70.3 | 49.8 | 78.1 | 55.1 | 40.8 | 3.2% | $68,930 | 214 | R+20 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | B+ | 70.2 | 46.9 | 86.1 | 75.5 | 85.7 | 4.3% | $81,800 | 154 | D+15 |
| 15 | Iowa | B+ | 69.6 | 56.1 | 67.3 | 57.1 | 77.6 | 3% | $72,429 | 295 | R+10 |
| 16 | Wyoming | B+ | 69.4 | 48.4 | 79.6 | 46.9 | 36.7 | 3.5% | $71,847 | 203 | R+20 |
| 17 | Colorado | B+ | 68.3 | 63.6 | 51.6 | 67.3 | 73.5 | 3.8% | $91,340 | 413 | D+5 |
| 18 | Maryland | B+ | 67.4 | 83.6 | 51.3 | 85.7 | 67.3 | 2.9% | $98,461 | 415 | D+15 |
| 19 | Hawaii | B | 66.1 | 90.0 | 70.4 | 83.7 | 65.3 | 2.2% | $94,814 | 272 | D+20 |
| 20 | New Jersey | B | 65.5 | 55.1 | 80.7 | 81.6 | 95.9 | 4.8% | $97,126 | 195 | D+10 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | B | 64.8 | 56.2 | 67.3 | 51.0 | 65.3 | 3% | $72,458 | 295 | Even |
| 22 | Washington | B | 64.0 | 46.9 | 57.1 | 87.8 | 57.1 | 4.9% | $90,325 | 372 | D+10 |
| 23 | Oregon | B | 61.1 | 27.1 | 67.7 | 63.3 | 63.3 | 5.4% | $77,630 | 292 | D+5 |
| 24 | Kansas | B | 60.4 | 49.2 | 58.7 | 42.9 | 69.4 | 3.3% | $69,747 | 360 | R+15 |
| 25 | Pennsylvania | B | 59.1 | 41.8 | 64.9 | 49.0 | 79.6 | 4.1% | $73,823 | 313 | Even |
| 26 | New York | B | 57.0 | 43.7 | 58.1 | 73.5 | 59.2 | 4.5% | $81,386 | 364 | D+15 |
| 27 | North Carolina | C+ | 54.4 | 43.5 | 56.0 | 36.7 | 38.8 | 3.5% | $66,880 | 380 | Even |
| 28 | Delaware | C+ | 53.3 | 32.1 | 50.3 | 44.9 | 49.0 | 5.2% | $79,810 | 423 | D+10 |
| 29 | Florida | C+ | 52.7 | 36.7 | 55.5 | 28.6 | 57.1 | 4.3% | $71,516 | 384 | R+5 |
| 30 | Georgia | C+ | 52.2 | 47.9 | 57.6 | 32.7 | 42.9 | 3.5% | $71,355 | 368 | Even |
| 31 | Illinois | C+ | 51.1 | 39.2 | 54.3 | 59.2 | 71.4 | 4.6% | $78,304 | 393 | D+10 |
| 32 | Indiana | C+ | 50.8 | 42.4 | 58.5 | 20.4 | 51.0 | 3.5% | $65,870 | 361 | R+10 |
| 33 | Ohio | C+ | 50.1 | 31.7 | 66.3 | 26.5 | 55.1 | 4.1% | $63,715 | 303 | R+5 |
| 34 | Missouri | C+ | 49.8 | 45.7 | 40.7 | 30.6 | 44.9 | 3.2% | $64,811 | 495 | R+10 |
| 35 | Texas | C | 46.8 | 39.6 | 53.2 | 18.4 | 32.7 | 4.2% | $73,035 | 401 | R+5 |
| 36 | Tennessee | C | 46.3 | 43.5 | 27.7 | 14.3 | 34.7 | 3.3% | $64,036 | 592 | R+15 |
| 37 | Michigan | C | 46.1 | 25.1 | 49.3 | 38.8 | 53.1 | 4.9% | $68,505 | 430 | Even |
| 38 | Arizona | C | 45.2 | 39.7 | 49.3 | 34.7 | 10.2 | 4.3% | $74,568 | 430 | Even |
| 39 | South Carolina | C | 44.4 | 38.6 | 41.1 | 22.4 | 26.5 | 3.5% | $62,064 | 492 | R+10 |
| 40 | California | C | 43.6 | 41.3 | 48.0 | 69.4 | 46.9 | 5.4% | $91,905 | 440 | D+15 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | C | 42.9 | 40.0 | 48.8 | 10.2 | 22.4 | 3.3% | $60,528 | 434 | R+20 |
| 42 | Alaska | C | 41.0 | 35.0 | 10.1 | 40.8 | 0.0 | 5.3% | $84,143 | 724 | R+10 |
| 43 | Alabama | D | 40.6 | 47.6 | 50.1 | 8.2 | 18.4 | 2.7% | $59,613 | 424 | R+15 |
| 44 | Nevada | D | 40.2 | 18.4 | 49.2 | 24.5 | 8.2 | 5.5% | $70,448 | 431 | Even |
| 45 | Kentucky | D | 39.1 | 22.7 | 77.6 | 12.2 | 28.6 | 4.5% | $60,407 | 218 | R+15 |
| 46 | New Mexico | D | 33.7 | 26.9 | 11.1 | 16.3 | 12.2 | 4% | $57,488 | 717 | D+5 |
| 47 | West Virginia | D | 33.6 | 13.9 | 68.7 | 4.1 | 6.1 | 4.7% | $54,515 | 285 | R+20 |
| 48 | Mississippi | D | 32.7 | 26.7 | 70.7 | 6.1 | 4.1 | 3.7% | $52,985 | 270 | R+15 |
| 49 | Arkansas | F | 31.0 | 22.9 | 29.5 | 2.0 | 14.3 | 4.2% | $56,335 | 579 | R+15 |
| 50 | Louisiana | F | 26.3 | 20.6 | 37.3 | 0.0 | 16.3 | 4.3% | $55,416 | 520 | R+15 |
2026 US State Rankings Overview
America's Dashboard ranks all 50 US states using real government data across 11 categories: economy, safety, health, education, fiscal health, growth, affordability, environment, outdoor access, transportation, and livability. In 2026, New Hampshire leads the nation with a composite score of 87.6/100, followed by Utah (82.4), South Dakota (81.0), Vermont (78.8), and Minnesota (78.1).
Regional patterns emerge clearly in the data. The Northeast region leads with an average composite score of 69.3, followed by the Midwest (62.9), West (58.3), and South (44.2). The national average composite score across all 50 states is 57.9/100. The average median household income is $74,753, the average unemployment rate is 3.8%, and the average violent crime rate is 350 per 100,000 residents.
All data comes from official sources including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, America's Health Rankings, Tax Foundation, EPA, and FEMA. Scores are updated quarterly. For a full explanation of how scores and grades are calculated, see our methodology page.