COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – U.S. News & World Report recently released its annual “best states” rankings, and Ohio placed near the bottom of the list.
The digital media company releases a ranking of all 50 states annually. The rankings, which debuted in 2017, are based on an analysis of eight categories, including economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment, crime, education and health care.
Some categories are weighed more heavily than others, with education then health care carrying the most importance, followed by economics, infrastructure and opportunities.
The 2025 report was released last week, revealing Ohio ranked at No. 38, making it the 13th-worst state. Ohio also ranked among the worst states in 2024’s list but sat two spots higher at No. 36.
When it comes to specific categories, the Buckeye State ranked the lowest in natural environment (No. 41) followed by economy (No. 39). It ranked the highest in opportunity (No. 17) and fiscal stability (No. 25). The state came in No. 31 for crime, No. 30 for education, No. 34 for health care and No. 30 for infrastructure.
For the third year in a row, the report crowned Utah as the best state in the country. The Beehive State ranked particularly high in fiscal stability (No. 1), economy (No. 3) and infrastructure (No. 3). Its lowest ranking was in natural environment (No. 48).
The worst state in the country was Louisiana for the second year in a row, which placed last in the categories of crime and economy. The Pelican State did not receive a ranking higher than No. 44, which it earned in health care. The full report and methodology can be found here.