Maryland sits in the middle of the pack among U.S. states, according to a new ranking from U.S. News that looked at factors that people might consider when looking for a place to live.
The 2026 Overall Best State Rankings was released July 27 and rates the 50 U.S. states from best to worst, evaluating factors such as health care, education, crime, the economy and more, U.S. News explained.
This year, the states among the top five are Utah, South Dakota, Minnesota, North Dakota and Nebraska. Utah ranked in the top 10 in five of eight categories.
Utah also topped the list in 2025, while South Dakota was eighth a year ago.
As for the bottom of the barrel, Michigan, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alaska and Louisiana ranked the lowest.
Here’s what to know about Maryland’s ranking among U.S. states.
How Did Maryland Rank Among U.S. States?
Maryland ranked No. 21 among the 50 U.S. states, earning a ranking of 33 on crime and corrections, 24 on education, 5 on health care, 5 on natural environment, 37 on economy, 34 on fiscal stability, 24 on infrastructure, and 27 on opportunity, each out of 50, according to the U.S. News ranking.
In the ranking, U.S. News cited its proximity to Washington, D.C., noting that the state employs many federal workers and includes sites of dozens of federal agencies.
“It houses the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, along with defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin,” the report says. “Maryland is also home to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, one of the largest military medical centers in the nation.”
What Are the Top 10 U.S. States?
Here are the top 10 U.S. states in the ranking:
- Utah
- South Dakota
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- Idaho
- Florida
- Washington
- Vermont
How Were the Rankings Determined?
To determine the rankings, U.S. News analyzed 71 metrics across eight categories: education, health care, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, natural environment, and crime and corrections. Some categories were weighted more than others.
For example, health care and education were weighted more than crime and corrections, and natural environment. Within the categories, each state received points out of 100, with the best state given 100 points and the worst given zero. In addition to these point-based ratings, U.S. News surveyed 56,000 people across the country on how satisfied they were with their state’s performance in the categories.
Here’s a closer look at how the categories were analyzed:
Crime and corrections: Jailing equality, low juvenile incarceration, low incarceration rate, low property and violent crime rates
Education: Two- and four-year college graduation rates, educational attainment, low college debt, low college tuition and fees, college readiness, high school graduation rate, National Assessment of Educational Progress math and reading scores and preschool enrollment
Health care: Health insurance enrollment, child wellness and dental visits, adult wellness and dental visits, health care affordability, low preventable hospital admission rates, Medicare quality, nursing home and hospital qualities, low infant mortality rate, low mortality rate, low obesity and smoking rates, mental health and low suicide rate
Economy: Business creation rate, top company headquarters, patent creation rate, low tax burden, venture capital invested, job growth, labor force participation, low unemployment rate, net migration, gross domestic product growth and young population growth
Infrastructure: Electricity prices, power grid reliability, renewable energy usage, internet subscription rate and access to gigabit internet, bridge and road qualities, commute times and public transit usage
Opportunity: Cost of living, housing affordability, low food insecurity and poverty rate, income dispersion, household income, and education, unemployment and labor force participation gap by race, gender, disability status
Fiscal stability: Government credit rating, pension fund liability, liquidity, budget balancing
Natural environment: Drinking water and air qualities, low industrial toxins, low pollution health risk
Mike Stunson is a Washington, D.C.-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and DMV related for USA TODAY’s DC Connect Team.
Reporting by Mike Stunson and Greta Cross, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.
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