NJ Ranked Among Best States, But Near Dead Last In One Category

NEW JERSEY — A new ranking from U.S. News & World Report ranks New Jersey as the 14th best overall in terms of meeting the needs of its citizens. While the overall ranking was among the top tier of the 50 states, New Jersey ranked among the very lowest in one category: fiscal stability.

The rankings, released this week, measure how well states serve residents across 70 metrics in eight categories: the economy, fiscal stability, education, health care, infrastructure, natural environment, opportunity, and crime and corrections.

Weighting of the categories was based on a survey of what matters most to people, with health care and education weighted the most heavily.

Here’s where the Garden State ranked in the categories:

Health care: 4th
Education: 4th
Economy: 24th
Fiscal stability: 48th
Infrastructure: 16th
Natural environment: 24th
Crime and corrections: 5th
Opportunity: 43rd

U.S. News highlighted that many information and technology companies are based in New Jersey. The state is also a leader in the pharmaceutical and biotechnical industries, serving as home to both Johnson & Johnson and Merck.

"New Jersey’s tourism industry is also a significant driver of its economy, with Atlantic City – the East Coast’s answer to mega-casino hub Las Vegas – and the rest of the Jersey Shore attracting millions of visitors every year," the study notes.

New Jersey ranked lowest in fiscal stability. In assessing this category, U.S. News considers government credit rating, pension fund liability, as well as liquidity and budget balancing. A full look at the methodology can be found here.

The 10 best states, according to the sixth annual edition of the ranking, are:

1. Utah
2. New Hampshire
3. Nebraska
4. Minnesota
5. Idaho
6. Iowa
7. Vermont
8. Washington
9. Florida
10. Massachusetts

The lowest-ranked state is Louisiana. Other states that are ranked among the bottom include New Mexico, Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alaska, Alabama and Oklahoma.