NC Climbs On “Best States” List But Remains Outside Top 10
By David Purtell – Digital Editor, Charlotte Business Journal
North Carolina made a solid jump on a list of the best states in the country but still has some work left to reach the top 10.
The Tar Heel State ranks No. 13 on this year’s edition of the Best States ranking from U.S. News and World Report. That’s a decent jump from No. 19 a year ago, but one would think the state would be much higher given the explosive economic growth it’s seeing.
South Carolina is near the end of the pack. It ranks at No. 40, up one spot from last year.
The rankings are based on weighted categories including education, economy, health care, infrastructure and other factors. The full methodology can be viewed here.
North Carolina cracks the top 10 in just one of the key categories. The state places seventh for economy, its highest rank.
It ranks in the top 20 in three additional categories: education (12), fiscal stability (14) and opportunity (18). The state’s lowest rank comes in infrastructure (32) — and, somehow, places just 26th for natural environment.
South Carolina does not rank among the top 10 in any category, but does land in the top 20 in two metrics: economy (14) and fiscal stability (20). The state’s lowest rank is eduction, at No. 43. It also appears near the bottom in crime and corrections as well as opportunity, ranking 42nd in both.
The top three states this year are Utah, New Hampshire and Idaho. Florida, at No. 6, is the only Southeast state that ranks higher than North Carolina. Louisiana ranks at the bottom, followed by Alaska and Mississippi.
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