Ohio ranks among worst states in country in list by U.S. News & World Report

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A 2024 "best states" list by U.S. News & World Report ranked Ohio among the worst in the country. 

The media company stated it factored in thousands of data points to determine the best states. States’ economies, infrastructure, public safety, natural environment, opportunities and government fiscal stability were taken into account. Some categories were weighed more heavily than others, with health care and education carrying the most weight, followed by economies, infrastructure and opportunities. 

Ohio ranked No. 36 -- the 15th lowest-rated state in the country. When it comes to individual categories, the state’s economy ranked even lower at No. 39. Categories the state ranked highest in include fiscal stability (17) and opportunities (20). Ohio came in No. 33 in the category of crime and corrections, No. 27 in education, No. 35 in healthcare, No. 41 in natural environment and No. 30 in infrastructure.

WalletHub recently released its best and worst states to live list, with Ohio ranking slightly higher at No. 30. The personal finance company claimed Ohio has one of the worst economies in the country in another study, where the Buckeye state ranked No. 42. 

The best states in the country according to the U.S. News & World Report are Utah (1), New Hampshire (2), Nebraska (3), Minnesota (4) and Idaho (5). The worst states were Louisiana (50), New Mexico (49), Mississippi (48), Arkansas (47) and West Virginia (46).