Real Estate
Illinois Among Worst States For Quality Of Life
The rankings to determine quality of life evaluated the natural and social environment in every state — and Illinois didn't do so well.
When it comes to the best states for quality of life, Illinois didn't exactly make the top of the list. In fact, according to U.S. News’ newly released rankings of best states in the country, the Land of Lincoln was among the top 10 worst. Illinois came in at No. 47, right between Texas (No. 46) and Indiana (No. 48), in the quality of life rankings.
U.S. News ranked states in order for its overall "Best States 2018" list, putting Illinois at No. 35, all things considered. Iowa took the No. 1 spot, and Louisiana came in at No. 50. According to the report's "quick stats" on Illinois, the population is 12.8 million, 42 percent of which are college educated, and the median income is $30,712.
The quality of life category accounted for a little over eight percent of the overall rankings and looked at two factors: natural environment and social environment. To determine how good a state’s natural environment is, U.S. News evaluated drinking water quality, air quality, toxic chemical pollution per square mile and the risk of long term health effects from pollution.
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In the natural environment category, Illinois ranked dead last. Meanwhile, Florida came in at No. 1.
For the social environment category, U.S. News looked at community engagement, social support and voter participation. Community engagement and social support were measured based on survey results while voter participation was measured by evaluating average voter turnout in the 2016 election.
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Illinois ranked No. 35 in the social environment category. Alaska was No. 1 for social environment and Nevada was dead last.
The top 10 states for quality of life in the U.S. are:
- North Dakota
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- New Hampshire
- South Dakota
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- New Mexico
- Iowa
- Colorado
The bottom 10 states for quality of life are:
- Ohio
- Virginia
- Louisiana
- Nevada
- Pennsylvania
- West Virginia
- Texas
- Illinois
- Indiana
- New Jersey
- California
The data for the rankings came from McKinsey & Company’s Leading States Index. U.S. News ranked the categories and subcategories from 1 to 50 before creating overall rankings. (Read more about U.S. News’ methodology here.)
See the full U.S. News rankings here.
AP Photo/Seth Perlman
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