Dismal Ranking For PA In 'Best States' List: See Where We Ended Up

PENNSYLVANIA —Pennsylvania ranked 40th in a new "Best States" analysis from U.S. News & World Report. While the overall ranking was among the lower tier of the 50 states, Pennsylvania ranked among the best in one category: health care.

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 Keystone State ranked in the categories:

Health care: 11th
Education: 39th
Economy: 41st
Fiscal stability: 44th
Infrastructure: 43rd
Natural environment: 37th
Crime and corrections: 16th
Opportunity: 24th

U.S. News notes Pennsylvania has been one of the nation's most important industrial centers for steel, coal and railroads. "The state is today among the country’s largest producers of canned fruit and vegetable-specialty products, chocolate and cocoa products, potato chips and pretzels, and is home to the 'Snack Food Capital of the World.'," the study notes.

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.