The Best and Worst Things About US States


The Best Things About US States (embiggen)

What is the best and worst things about your state? In these two maps of the United States by redditor bigafricanhat, each of the states in the nation are labeled with its best and worst characteristics (yes, it's biased but still fun :)


The Worst Things About US States (embiggen)

Here they are in text form:

State Best Thing About It Worst Thing About It
Alabama Lowest Sales Tax Highest diabetes rates
Alaska Lowest diabetes rate Highest firearm death rate
Arizona Best service for the disabled Highest rate of home foreclosures
Arkansas Most affordable children's healthcare Lowest median family income
California Highest gross State product Worst state for business
Colorado Lowest obesity rate Highest cocaine use
Connecticut Highest personal income Worst State to retire
Delaware Highest standard of living Most prisoners per capita
Florida Highest percentage of high school students who pass AP exams Worst pedestrian safety
Georgia Best urban interstate conditions Worst government corruption laws
Hawaii Lowest unemployment rate Highest tax burden
Idaho Lowest overall crime rate Highest animal abuse rates
Illinois Best animal protection laws Worst State for nonprofit agencies
Indiana Best parental involvement in children's education Most toxic chemicals in waterways
Iowa Best access to affordable healthcare Most racial disparity in criminal arrests
Kansas Best drivers Worst emergency preparedness
Kentucky Best high school teacher productivity Most daily cigarette smokers
Louisiana Best State for digital media business Highest murder rates
Maine Best State for cat owners Worst standard of living
Maryland Best public schools Most cursing
Massachusetts Highest bachelor degree completion Most cases of child abuse and neglect
Michigan Most fabulous State reptile (painted turtle) Most high school students injured with a weapon
Minnesota Highest high school diploma completion Worst State for small business
Mississippi Best State for oil and gas investment Highest poverty rate
Missouri Highest rate of technology job growth Worst waste water treatment
Montana Lowest HIV/AIDS rate Highest motor vehicle death rate
Nebraska Fewest prisoners per capita Worst capital markets
Nevada Best State for mining investment Highest divorce rate
New Hampshire Lowest murder and poverty rates Highest murder rate of seniors 65+
New Jersey Highest median family income Highest property taxes
New Mexico Best prevention programs for prescription drug abuse Worst State for child wellbeing
New York Lowest suicide rate Most religious hate crimes
North Carolina Lowest alcohol abuse/dependency Most teen driving deaths
North Dakota Best road conditions Most workplace fatalities
Ohio Home of the best theme park in the world (Cedar Point) Most air pollution
Oklahoma Most alternative fuel vehicles Lowest percentage of adults who visit a dentist
Oregon Best housing market Highest childcare cost
Pennsylvania Best State for pedestrian and bicycles Most arson deaths
Rhode Island Lowest coal consumption per capita Highest teacher absenteeism
South Carolina Lowest gas prices Most domestic violence against women
South Dakota Most badass State fossil (Triceratops) Worst sex trafficking laws
Tennessee Best State for retirement Most bankruptcy filings
Texas Best State to do business, according to CEOs Lowest high school graduation rate
Utah Lowest cancer death rate Highest prevalence of poor mental health
Vermont Lowest CO2 emissions Most Iraq war casulaties
Virginia Best State to earn a living Most hate crimes against the disabled
Washington Best workforce talent Highest rate of food stamp fraud
West Virginia Lowest incidence of infectious disease Highest depression rates
Wisconsin Best rural development programs Highest alcohol abuse and dependency rates
Wyoming Lowest tax burden Highest suicide rate

See also previously on Neatorama: The United States of Shame


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Newest 5 Comments

Yeah, the maps aren't meant to be definitive - these are the results of Google searches like "worst in YY state" or "Best in XX state."

Interesting to learn that Mass.' rules about reporting child abuse are strict, and therefore resulted in higher recorded incidence.
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Speaking as someone who lives in Massachusetts, I uttered a hearty "WTF" about our "worst." After reading some articles about it, it turns out that we have the highest reported rate of child neglect/abuse, but that's primarily because our reporting rules are extremely strict; other states surely have much higher rates of abuse, but many more of those cases go unreported. I imagine a lot of the things (particularly worsts) on this list are similar misrepresentations.
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