Minnesota has ranked 3rd in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best States ranking, climbing one spot from its 4th-place position the previous year, according to the annual assessment released in late July. The North Star State trails only Utah (1st) and South Dakota (2nd) in the comprehensive evaluation.
U.S. News analyzed all 50 states across 71 metrics spanning eight categories: education, healthcare, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment, and crime and corrections. Minnesota’s performance varied significantly by category, with rankings ranging from 9th in infrastructure to 24th in economy.
Minnesota’s strongest showings came in infrastructure (9th), natural environment (10th), and opportunity and fiscal stability (both 11th). The state ranked 15th for education, 15th for crime and corrections, 16th for healthcare, and 11th for crime and corrections.
The methodology behind the rankings reflects what U.S. News views as the most important measures of state livability. Education metrics included college graduation rates, educational attainment, college debt and affordability, college readiness, high school graduation rates, and standardized test performance. Healthcare was evaluated through insurance enrollment, wellness visits, affordability, preventable hospital admission rates, and mortality indicators including infant mortality and obesity rates.
The economic assessment considered business creation rates, company headquarters concentration, patent creation, tax burden, venture capital investment, job growth, labor force participation, unemployment, net migration, and GDP growth. Infrastructure evaluation examined electricity prices, grid reliability, renewable energy usage, internet access and speed, road and bridge quality, commute times, and public transit availability.
Beyond the quantitative metrics, U.S. News surveyed more than 56,000 Americans between 2018 and 2025 about their satisfaction with their state’s performance across the eight categories, incorporating public perception into the overall rankings. Some categories were weighted more heavily than others—healthcare and education received greater weight than crime and corrections or natural environment.
Minnesota’s improvement to 3rd place reflects broader momentum in the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains regions. South Dakota surged from 8th in 2025 to 2nd in 2026, while North Dakota placed 4th and Nebraska 5th. Iowa ranked 12th and Wisconsin 15th. Utah maintained its top ranking for the fourth consecutive year.
At the bottom of the 2026 rankings, Louisiana placed 50th, followed by Alaska (49th), Mississippi (48th), New Mexico (47th), Michigan (46th), and Arkansas (45th). Louisiana scored particularly poorly in fiscal stability, healthcare, opportunity, infrastructure, education, economy, and crime and corrections.
Sources
- St. Cloud Times / USA TODAY — Minnesota’s ranking in the 2026 U.S. News Best States rankings, category breakdowns, and methodology explanation
- KARE 11 — Minnesota’s movement from 4th in 2025 to 3rd in 2026, South Dakota’s surge from 8th to 2nd
- U.S. News & World Report — Official 2026 Best States rankings and category metrics
