US News ranks best and worst states. See where Illinois landed

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US News ranks best and worst states. See where Illinois landed

Hannah HudnallPeoria Journal Star
July 31, 2026, 3:04 a.m. CT

U.S. News & World Report released its 2026 Best State Ranking, calculating scores based on factors such as education, environmental quality, crime rates and healthcare

Unfortunately, Illinois ended up towards the bottom of the list, with recent air pollution and outward migration more than likely contributing

Here’s a closer look at where the Prairie State ranked in the list and why

What is the No. 1 state?

Utah topped the list, ranking second for its economy and fiscal stability, fourth for its infrastructure and sixth for its education. Despite the state’s picturesque mountains, Utah ranked almost dead-last (48th) for its natural environment due to air and water pollution

What is the No. 50 state?

Louisiana landed at the bottom of U.S. News’ list, ranking 50th in crime and corrections, 49th in economy and natural environment and 46th in education and infrastructure. The state also ranked in the 40s for healthcare (45th), opportunity (45th) and fiscal stability (43rd)

How did Illinois rank?

Illinois landed toward the bottom of the list at No. 37, ranking 50th in fiscal stability, 45th for its natural environment and 41st for its economy. It ranked similarly low in the categories of opportunity (38th) and healthcare (27th)

The Land of Lincoln meanwhile ranked relatively highly in infrastructure (21st) and crime and corrections (15th), receiving the highest score in education (13th)

Specific factors that hurt Illinois’ score include poor liquidity, high levels of air pollution and below-average job growth. Factors that helped the state’s score include above-average high school graduation rates, high math scores and below-average violent crime and incarceration rates

See full US News state ranking

Here’s a look at how all 50 states ranked:

1. Utah
2. South Dakota
3. Minnesota
4. North Dakota
5. Nebraska
6. New Hampshire
7. Idaho
8. Florida
9. Washington
10. Vermont
11. Massachusetts
12. Iowa
13. North Carolina
14. Delaware
15. Wisconsin
16. Wyoming
17. Colorado
18. Connecticut
19. Virginia
20. New Jersey
21. Maryland
22. Georgia
23. New York
24. Kansas
25. Tennessee
26. Texas
27. Maine
28. Hawaii
29. Montana
30. Indiana
31. Missouri
32. South Carolina
33. Rhode Island
34. Arizona
35. California
36. Oklahoma
37. Illinois
38. Nevada
39. Oregon
40. Pennsylvania
41. Kentucky
42. Ohio
43. Alabama
44. West Virgina
45. Arkansas
46. Michigan
47. New Mexico
48. Mississippi
49. Alaska
50. Louisiana

Greta Cross contributed to this article