Kentucky ranked low in the U.S. News Best State Rankings. Here is how the state did

Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
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Is Kentucky the best state according to U.S. News & World Report? Not exactly. But there are a couple of areas where the commonwealth is positioned near the top.

Overall, Kentucky ranked No. 39 in the 2023 Best State Rankings from U.S. News & World Reports.

The overall ranking takes into consideration several data points, including how people think their states are performing along with rankings of topics including education, health, public safety and the economy. The health and education data held a higher weight as compared with other topics, hurting the Bluegrass State which was scored at No. 32 in education and No. 46 in health care.

The report says each state has something they "excel" at and Kentucky was cited as "home to one of America's oldest and most popular sporting events, the Kentucky Derby, as well as the longest cave system in the world, Mammoth Cave National Park."

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The report also mentions the state is the top producer of corn, soybeans, hay, wheat, and the biggest supplier of bourbon.

Here are the complete rankings for Kentucky:

  • Crime and corrections: No. 13

  • Economy: No. 43

  • Education: No. 32

  • Fiscal stability: No. 45

  • Health care: No. 46

  • Infrastructure: No. 23

  • Natural environment: No. 22

  • Opportunity: No. 13

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Other notable state data:

  • Job growth was -0.3% with a 0.2% net migration

  • Within education, the state was No. 36 in higher education and No. 27 in Pre-K to 12. Its high school graduation rate is 91.1%

  • The No. 48 ranking in public health, includes being No. 45 in healthcare quality and No. 37 in healthcare access

  • The obesity rate is 40.3% compared to the 33.7% national rate

  • 7.9% of the state's population does not have health insurance.

  • Energy consumption from renewable resources is half of the national rate at 6.3% compared to 12.3%

  • 7.4% of its roads are in poor condition, better than the national average of 19.0%

How did Kentucky fare against neighboring states? Virginia ranked highest at No. 13, followed by Tennessee (No. 24), Indiana (No. 29), Missouri (No. 30), Ohio (No. 34), Illinois (No. 36) and West Virginia (No. 46).

The top five ranked states are Utah, Washington, Idaho, Nebraska and Minnesota, in that order. The bottom five are West Virginia, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska and Louisiana.

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Reach Ana Rocío Álvarez Bríñez at abrinez@gannett.com; follow her on Twitter at @SoyAnaAlvarez.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky ranked low in the U.S. News Best State Rankings, more data