Louisiana ranked as the nation’s worst state in the 2026 U.S. News Best States rankings, finishing No. 50 overall in the annual report released by U.S. News & World Report.
The national study evaluates all 50 states across 71 metrics grouped into eight categories. Those categories include education, healthcare, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime and corrections, and natural environment. U.S. News says the rankings reflect issues that Americans identify as the most important responsibilities of state government.
According to the report, Louisiana is the only state that finished in the bottom 10 of every category measured.
The report placed Louisiana 50th in Crime & Corrections, 49th in Economy, 49th in Natural Environment, and 46th in Education. Those rankings, combined with lower performances in the remaining categories, resulted in the state’s last-place finish.
Meanwhile, Utah claimed the No. 1 ranking for a record fourth consecutive year. U.S. News credited Utah’s diversified economy, strong fiscal stability, expanding infrastructure, and highly ranked education system for its continued success.
The report also highlighted significant movement among Midwestern states. South Dakota climbed to No. 2, followed by Minnesota at No. 3, North Dakota at No. 4, and Nebraska at No. 5.
At the bottom of the rankings, little changed from last year. Alaska ranked No. 49, Mississippi No. 48, and New Mexico No. 47. Michigan rounded out the bottom five at No. 46.
U.S. News says the rankings are based on data and a nationwide survey of 25,000 Americans about which areas of state government matter most. Education and healthcare received the highest priority, followed by the economy, infrastructure, opportunity, and fiscal stability.
The complete rankings, methodology, and interactive data are available from U.S. News & World Report.
Read the full U.S. News Best States 2026 report.
Source: U.S. News & World Report, 2026 Best States Rankings.
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