Massachusetts Loses 'Best State' Crown To Iowa

BOSTON, MA — February started with the New England Patriots losing a heartbreaker in the Super Bowl and it is now ending with Massachusetts losing its "best state" crown in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. It has been a month to forget in the Bay State, which was ranked No. 8 in the country this year — compared to No. 1 in 2017. New Hampshire (No. 5) and Utah (No. 3) beat out Massachusetts, while Iowa took the top spot.

U.S. News' "Best State" rankings for 2018 were based on eight metrics, ranging from health care to infrastructure to crime. Massachusetts was ranked No. 1 in the education category — but 45th in infrastructure.

This is how Massachusetts was ranked in all categories:

• Health care: 5
• Education: 1
• Economy: 9
• Opportunity: 14
• Infrastructure: 45
• Crime: 5
• Fiscal stability: 40
• Quality of life: 25

U.S. News & World Report Best State Rankings 2018: Full List

"Health care and education were weighted most heavily," U.S. news wrote. "Then came state economies, the opportunity states offer their citizens and infrastructure. Crime & corrections followed closely in weighting, followed by measures of government fiscal stability and people's quality of life. This explains why Iowa, ranking No. 1 in infrastructure and No. 3 in health care, occupies the overall No. 1 spot in the Best States rankings. And it explains why Minnesota, ranking No. 2 in quality of life and No. 3 in opportunity for its citizens, ranks No. 2 overall in the Best States rankings."

Of the other New England states, Vermont was ranked No. 9; Maine was ranked No. 22; and Connecticut was ranked No. 24. Louisiana was ranked No. 50.

While March cannot seem to come soon enough in Massachusetts, it is going to start with a nor'easter expected to cause flooding up and down the coast:

• Flood Watch Issued For Entire Massachusetts Coast

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Massachusetts 'Best State' In America In 2017: U.S. News

Photo: Boston Common in Massachusetts. (Credit: Lauren Ramsby)