Minnesota is the 4th best state to live: Nationwide ranking system
(FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A new nationwide ranking system says Minnesota is the fourth-best state in the nation to live in.
What we know
U.S. News’ Best States rankings says it used thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing compared to others.
According to its crime statistics, Minnesota has an incarceration rate of 151 per 100,000 residents, and 32 juveniles per 100,000, which ranks them No. 22 in the nation.
In its healthcare category, the rankings note that only 6.2% of Minnesota’s residents are without health insurance (while the national average is almost twice that at 11.3%), and 33.4% of its citizens are considered obese.
The median household income in Minnesota is $82,338, while the national average is $74,755, with a poverty rate of 9.6% (compared to a national average of 12.6%).
The ranking notes that Minnesota is the home to several Fortune 500 companies, including UnitedHealth Group, Target, 3M and General Mills, as well as the nonprofit health organization Mayo Clinic.
According to the list, Nebraska ranked No. 3, ahead of Minnesota, while Idaho ranked just behind at No. 5.
Neighboring states such as Iowa ranked No. 6, South Dakota ranked No. 11, North Dakota ranked No. 15 and Wisconsin ranked No. 17.
How it’s calculated
The ranking system says it puts "more weight to some categories than others," based on a survey of "what matters most to people."
The rankings show how each of the 50 U.S. states ranks in 71 metrics across eight categories: Health care (15.97%), education (15.94%), economy (13.36%), infrastructure (12.93%), opportunity (12.29%), fiscal stability (11.36%), crime and corrections (9.16%), and natural environment (8.99%).
To calculate the weighted averages, the 2024 Best States rankings conducted three surveys: One in the fall of 2017 (20,100 respondents from all 50 states); a second in the winter of 2018-19 (23,400 respondents); and a third in the winter of 2020-21 that included 26,300 respondents from all 50 states.
All respondents were 18 years or older.