Well Diddly…Louisiana Ranks Last on ‘U.S. News’ List of Best States in America

You've heard this one before. Louisiana is once again at the bottom of one of those "good" lists.

This time it's the U.S. News & World Report of the "Overall Best States" in the United States.

In the report, they rank each of the 50 states in 71 different metrics across eight categories. The categories were weighted based on survey data that indicates how much people prioritize each subject.

The results of the findings for Louisiana?

Louisiana's economy ranks last overall in Crime & Corrections and Economy. In the latter category, the state ranks 50th for growth, 44th for business environment, and 36th for employment.

Here's how Louisiana did in the other six categories:

• Education - 46th
• Fiscal stability - 38th
• Health care - 45th
• Infrastructure - 49th
• Natural environment - 49th
• Opportunity - 48th

Where did Louisiana do at least ok?

The state was decent in a few areas, like the following:

• Air & water quality - 15th
• Having a low tax burden - 21st
• Solid job growth - 27th
• Health care access - 29th

Which states topped the list?

Utah topped the overall ranking, followed by Washington, Idaho, Nebraska, and Minnesota.

Which states joined Louisiana at the bottom?

Let's feel a bit better about ourselves. The other states at the rear of the list, starting from 49th, are Alaska, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Arkansas.

To view the complete rankings and the breakdown of all the categories, click here.